The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy
by Mogo Girl
Summary: What if Cait's really not who they think she is? What if there are things in Cait's past that nobody knows about; things that could impact her life and those around her. Will it ruin her relationship with the only two people that really matter to her?
1. Chapter 1

_**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**_

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only. _

_A/N: Okay, so we're going a little off-canon with this one. I hope you'll allow me some leeway and come along for the ride. The muse has been tossing this idea around for a while so I finally thought we'd try it out. Let me know what you think._

_SUMMMARY: What if Cait's really not who they think she is? What if there are things in Cait's past that nobody knows about; things that could impact her life and those around her. Will it ruin her relationship with the only two people that really matter to her?_

**PROLOGUE**

Caitlin O'Shannessy sat behind the desk staring in shock at the phone she had just hung up. She couldn't believe it. After all of these years she thought she had finally been able to move on with this life she had so carefully created without having to keep looking over her shoulder. Just ten minutes ago her life had been almost perfect…she had Dom and Hawke and her work with Santini Air, not to mention the Airwolf missions. Now, in the matter of one 30-second phone call, all of that was shattered.

It hadn't taken much to bring her world to a halt. The ringing of the phone, her cheerful greeting as she picked it up "_Santini Air!", _and then those seven simple words coming across the phone line:

"_Katherine…he's out. Plan B's in effect."_

That was it, no hello, no goodbye, just seven little words that would change her life forever…again.

Within the next 48 hours, Caitlin O'Shannessy would be no more and all evidence of whom she had been for the lasts seven years would be wiped clean. And as for those she had finally allowed herself to get close to…well, they would be told to forget her, to move on as if she had never crossed their paths. They would look for her but would find nothing left, no apartment, no government records, no personal belongings. Even photographs they had of her (though Caitlin had been careful about not letting too many of those be taken -she was always good about making sure she was the one behind the camera…not in front of it) would somehow mysteriously disappear, leaving nothing to remember her by. In time, she would be forgotten all together. Just like Katherine Sullivan ceased to exist seven years ago, so would Caitlin O'Shannessy now.

"_NO! I can't do this," _she thought to herself as a tear rolled down her cheek. "_If I do, then he wins again and that's not acceptable. Maybe it's time I take matters into my own hands. I won't let him take everything away from me again!"_

Having made her decision, Caitlin picked up her purse and headed to her car. She knew that the phone that the fateful call had come in on was most likely bugged and she needed to find a secure line. About 5 miles from the Airport, Caitlin pulled into a deserted gas station and pulled around back to where she knew a phone booth still stood. Putting quarter into the slot she kept a sharp eye out as she anxiously awaited someone to pick up on the other end.

"Knightsbridge"

"Samantha? This is Caitlin. I need to see Archangel right away."

"Cait, he's in a meeting. I can make you an appointment for tomorrow," the spy's assistant told her.

"No. This is urgent. You tell him I'll be there in 20 minutes and I need to see him, now. It's life or death! And, Sam, not a word of this to Dominic Santini or Hawke, you understand? It's vital." Without waiting for an answer, Caitlin hung up the phone and got back in her car. Driving out of the parking lot, she prayed she was doing the right thing.

_TBC…._


	2. Chapter 2

**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

Chapter 1

"Caitlin! Are you alright?" Michael Coldsmith Briggs, aka Archangel, asked as he entered his office.

Caitlin turned from where she was staring out the wall of windows on the back side of the office to look at the spy. "Yes, Michael, I'm fine," she said somewhat unconvincingly.

Michael stopped on the other side of his desk and adjusted his glasses as he looked at the redhead in front of him. He was used to being summoned by Hawke and occasionally even by Dominic Santini but to hear that Caitlin was demanding his assistance was definitely unusual. As he observed the younger woman, his spy senses kicked into high gear and he could tell something was definitely off with her, she was obviously not her usual, upbeat self. "And Dom and Hawke, they're fine?" Michael asked cautiously as he stroked his moustache.

"Yes," Caitlin said softly as she nodded her head.

"So to what do I owe this abrupt visit?" Michael asked as he rounded the desk and sat down in his chair, keeping his tone and manner casual. Whatever was bothering the lady in front of him already had her on edge. Responding crassly to her as he might Stringfellow Hawke if he were here instead of Caitlin, probably wasn't going to help the situation. The spy had come to know Cait well enough to know she would tell him what he needed to know as soon as she was ready. He also knew that she wouldn't have insisted he leave a Committee meeting to see her if it wasn't important. After all, she had told Samantha that it was 'life and death'.

After another minute of staring out the window, Caitlin finally crossed the room and took a seat in front of Michael's desk. "I need help, Michael, and you're the only one that I think can provide what I need."

Michael stayed quiet as he waited for Caitlin to continue.

Caitlin squirmed in her seat as she tried to figure out where to begin her story. Finally deciding that the only way Michael would be able to help her would be if he knew the entire truth she laid it all out for him. Sparing no details it was a full 45 minutes later when she finally stopped talking. When she was done, she felt spent but yet relieved in a way as well. It felt good to be finally able to tell someone the entire truth without the fear of letting something slip that she shouldn't . Keeping secrets was hard work.

When Caitlin finished her story, Michael rose without speaking and crossed the room where he poured a glass of brandy out of the crystal decanter on the fully stocked bar in his office and then handed the glass to Caitlin as he took the chair next to her. He took the few seconds it took for her to take a few sips to gather his thoughts. To say that he was surprised at what Cait had just shared with him was an understatement. The implications it had on Airwolf missions alone was staggering. How was he going to explain this to The Committee? The uproar that had ensued when they found out Caitlin could fly Airwolf was bad enough. This could create World War III between him and his FIRM co-workers.

"Caitlin, you do realize that you're asking me to go against another US government agency? It's not something that Washington is going to be very happy about. Not to mention the fact that you are putting yourself in grave danger. Is it really worth it? Are you ready to risk your own life for this?"

"Yes, I understand that Michael," Caitlin said as she looked him straight in the eye. "And the way I see it, I really don't have a choice if I ever want to control my own destiny again. Carl Simmons has ruled my life for the last 8 years. He's dictated where I live, what my name is and who I can be. Even from 3000 miles away, locked in a jail cell, he's been my puppet master. If I do what they want then, even if it's for my own safety and well-being, then once again he's won. It's like being murdered only to be brought back to life and murdered again by the same man. How many times can I allow him to take away my life?"

Michael nodded showing that he understood. "Well then, I guess the only question left is what about Hawke and Dominic? We could use their help with Airwolf. Anyways, no matter what, you know if you're going to stay and fight this, then they're going to find out. Don't you think they deserve to hear about this from you? And sooner than later."

Telling the two pilots was the thing that Caitlin dreaded more than anything. Especially Hawke. Hawke valued loyalty and honesty above all else...how he would react when he realized that one of the few people he actually allowed himself to trust enough to let into his inner circle had been lying about everything under the sun for the last two years was not going to sit well with him to say the least. Caitlin considered him her best friend and closest confidant but wondered if that would any longer be true when everything was brought out in the open. Dominic, he'd be hurt but he'd get over it and move on. Hawke? While he would do whatever he had to to help her out, she knew he would definitely pull away from her...no matter how good her reasoning. He had been the one stumbling block in her coming to her decision.

"You're right, of course," she agreed. "I just needed to know if you were willing to help first. I can't do this without The Firm resources. If you had said no, I would have left just like they want me too. I would have had no choice. Now that you've agreed, Hawke and Dom have to be told. I was hoping to do that tonight, at the cabin."

"Do you want some support?" Michael asked as he placed his hand gently on her arm. "I'll come with you if you want me to, Caitlin."

Shaking her head, Caitlin placed the brandy snifter on the small table beside her chair and stood as Michael rose with her. "Thanks, Michael, that means a lot but I think I have to do this myself. Whatever happens I'll be back in the morning, either with or without Hawke, and we'll get things started."

Michael followed her towards the door. Stopping as she put her hand on the door knob, Caitlin turned back around to face the spy. "Thank you, MIchael. I know I'm asking a lot."

"You deserve your peace of mind, Caitlin. If I can help give that to you, it'll be worth it," he said with a smile. "Anyways, you're the only one who can seem to keep Hawke in line. I can't afford to have you leave," Michael added with a sparkle in his eye.

With a simple nod, Caitlin turned and left the office.

"Good luck, Katherine," Michael said under his breath as he watched her walk out of his office and down the hallway.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Hawke walked into the hangar office wiping grease off his hands with a shop rag as Dom was hanging up the phone with a puzzled look on his face.

"Was that Caitlin?" Hawke asked.

"Yeah," Dom said with a nod.

"Well...did she say where the hell she'd gone? I still can't believe she just walked out of here knowing that she was supposed to be helping me with that camera mount this afternoon," Hawke said as he tossed the rag on the desk. When Dom didn't answer, Hawke realized that something had the older man concerned. "Dom?"

"No, String, she didn't tell me where she went. All she said is that she needed to talk to us. She wants to meet us up at the cabin tonight after dinner. She said she'd fly up around 7:00 o'clock."

"And?" Hawke prodded.

"And nothing. She said she'd explain everything tonight."

"That's it?" Hawke asked starting to understand why Dom was so disturbed. It wasn't like Caitlin to just disappear and then to be so secretive about what she was doing. Something was up.

"I don't like it, String. She didn't even sound like herself."

"Maybe we should go look for her," Hawke suggested as he was already turning to leave.

"No, she made it clear she didn't want to see us before tonight. She wouldn't even tell me where she was."

Hawke's sixth sense was suddenly on edge. He had no real evidence that Caitlin was in danger but every nerve in his body was telling him something was definitely wrong. "Fine, she has until seven...one minute late and we're going looking," he stated with conviction as Dom nodded in agreement.

_TBC..._

_Next chapter - the story of Caitlin's past will be revealed. Thanks for the reviews and follows :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**_

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

_A/N: Cait's secret revealed. I have put her explanation in italics so it reads as a stand alone story and is easier to disseminate from her conversations with Dom and Hawke. I'm sure some of you have figured at least part of this out by now..I hope this fleshes the rest of it out for you. It may also leave a few other questions but I promise that I hope to cover any of those in future chapters. Anyways...I hope you enjoy. _

**Chapter 2**

At 6:50 Hawke turned from where he was cleaning up the last of the dinner dishes and announced to Dom that Caitlin had arrived. He could hear the rotors of a chopper approaching around the mountain and knew from the sound that it was most likely the Sikorsky owned by Santini Air.

Hawke placed the last dish in the drying rack and headed towards the front porch to watch Caitlin land the chopper on the pier. Dom wached from the open doorway. As they watched the rotors wind down and Caitlin step down from the pilot's seat, they could immediately tell that this was not the same Caitlin they were used to seeing. As she walked up the pier and neared the cabin, Hawke was surprised to see a woman who appeared tired and worn down. The usual determined gait to her step was gone and she appeared to be carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. He shot Dom a quick concerned look seeing that the older man was observing the same things. As Caitlin climbed the few steps to the porch, it became obvious that she had probably spent much of the time since they had last seen her that morning crying.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Dom said as he came out of the doorway to meet her.

"Hey, Dom," was all she said in return. Looking at both men, Caitlin just continued towards the door. "Let's go inside," she directed and headed into the cabin leaving the two men staring behind her. Dom turned to look at String who just shrugged back at him and gestured that they should follow Caitlin in. Hawke was at loss for words himself, he had never seen Caitlin look so distressed.

As the men re-entered the cabin, they found Caitlin pacing nervously in front of the fireplace. Before they could say anything, she asked them to have a seat.

"Caitlin...what the hell is wrong?" Hawke finally asked as he tried to approach the redhead only to have her sidestep his reach.

"No, Hawke, please just sit. I have a lot to say and I need to do this before I Iose my nerve," Caitlin told him, "All I ask is that you let me tell you everything before asking questions or coming to any conclusions. When I'm done...I'll let you say anything you want, I promise." Hawke saw the pleading look in her eyes and figured that, for now, the best thing to do would be to let her get out whatever it was that was obviously causing her a great deal of distress.

Once they were seated, Caitlin turned towards the two men and took a deep breath. She knew the next 30 minutes would be among the most important in her life. When she finished speaking, she knew that the two men who meant more to her than anyone else in the world would have a different view of her. She just hoped, they would still want to keep her around. If not, all of this would be for nothing. With a nervous voice, she began her story:

_"Something happened today when the two of you were out picking up the parts for the Steerman. I received a phone call. One that I always knew I could get but prayed that I never would. After eight years, I guess I had fooled myself into believing it would never come. And I guess for all of this to make sense, eight years ago is where I need to start..._

_"In 1978, my name was Katherine Sullivan, I was 21, studying towards a Liberal Arts degree at Columbia University in New York. and still very much a naive little country girl from Topeka, Kansas." _Caitlin stopped to take in the surprised looks on Dom's and Hawke's faces. Already, in one sentence, she had told them a boatload of new information about who she really was and she could tell they were confused. For all they knew, she had grown up on a ranch in Texas and had gone to some local college. As Dom started to ask her what she was talking about, Caitlin threw up a hand to stop him. "No, Dom...please, not yet. I know this doesn't make a lot of sense right now, but it will. Please trust me," she asked. After looking to Hawke who gave him a silent nod, Dom sighed and sat back in his chair once again giving Caitlin the floor_. _

_"I had gotten to Columbia on a scholarship and for someone like me, New York City was a whole new world. I had never experienced such a place with so many people and so many things going on at once. I guess I was like a kid in a candy store. It wasn't long before I started meeting some people that showed me that there was a whole world of things out there that I had never known about. One of those people was a young man by the name of Carl Simmons. _

_I met Carl in my sophomore year at Columbia. A friend had taken me to an off-campus party at this palatial estate just outside of the city. She said it was owned by the father of one of her classmates. It was unlike any place I had ever been before...marble floors, high ceilings, all the cars in the drive were luxury sports cars, each one costing more than all the cars in my hometown put together. Needless to say, the party was pretty wild and there were a lot of things going on there that I had never seen, mainly lots of drugs. Not feeling comfortable, I had wondered outside to a gazebo in the backyard. That's when I met Carl. I saw him standing there in the moonlight, tall and handsome with dark hair, brown eyes and a smile that seemed to brighten up the night. It was as if he had walked out of a movie. When he saw me, he walked over and we started a conversation. It turned out that he had come outside for the same reason I had...neither of us felt very comfortable with what we had seen going on inside, at least that's what he led me to believe at the time. _

_Well, one thing led to another and within a couple of weeks, Carl and I had become a steady couple. He wasn't attending the university, he was actually a few years older than me and had graduated from NYU a few years earlier with a business degree. He told me that he was working for his father who owned a very successful import/export business. Carl was learning the business so that one day he could take it over. Everything I witnessed gave me no reason to suspect anything different. And, as I said, I was still a naive country girl who wouldn't have even thought there could be something more going on, even when the ridiculously expensive gifts began coming my way. I guess that's when I should have figured out something wasn't right, Carl shouldn't have been able to afford the things he was giving me, but I was too happy and excited to question it at the time. _

_After about 6 months, Carl asked me to marry him and I said yes. Plans for a grand wedding were underway that was to take place after I finished my junior year. It was during that time that I started questioning a few things, however. Carl's 'business associates' would show up at the house and I would be dismissed like chopped liver or something. I was never allowed to hear what they were talking about and they were always meeting behind closed doors. The meetings were taking place at odd times too, I mean who meets at 2:00 in the morning? When I would ask Carl about it, he would just tell me that some things were better not to ask about. If i tried to push, he would get irate and I soon learned it wasn't worth it. I was young, stupid and in love...why rock the boat? After all, most of the time he treated me like a queen and we were already looking at things like houses and cars we would buy after we got married. How many 21 year olds can say that?_

_Then one weekend, a few friends and I were headed up to Connecticut to see a concert. We were going to make a girls' weekend out of it and go up on Friday and come back on Sunday. It was supposed to be my last bachlerette weekend before the wedding. Carl had given his blessing and actually insisted that I go which seemed a little unusual since he usually liked to keep me close by. Anways, when we woke up Saturday morning, I had developed a pretty bad cold and had decided to bow out on the rest of the weekend and head home. I apologized to my girlfriends and caught a train back into the city. By this time, I had moved into Carl's apartment, which was actually the guest house on his father's property, and headed back there to rest for the remainder of the weekend. _

_When the taxi I had caught from the train station pulled up in front of the estate, I immediately recognized several of the expensive cars that were sitting in the drive. They belonged to the business associates that Carl seemed to be meeting with more and more. I had the taxi driver take me around back and drop me off in front of the guest house so I wouldn't disturb Carl and his father during the meeting. I started to enter the house when I heard voices coming from inside so I looked in the window and I couldn't believe what I was seeing..."_

Tears started to run down Caitlin's face as the memories flooded back. It was all so vivid to her now, just like it had happened yesterday. Dom once again started to stand to go and comfort her but Hawke threw him a steely gaze keeping him in his seat. "Let her finish, Dom.

Caitlin nodded her thanks to Hawke as she wiped the tears off her cheeks and continued,

"_Inside, I could see Carl and four other of his associates standing in front of another man who was tied to a chair. I could tell that he had been severely beaten already. All of the other men, including Carl, were holding guns. On a table next to them were what looked appeared to be bricks of cocaine. There must have been 20 or more kilos. _

_ I didn't know what to do. I knew I should run but I was so surprised by what I was seeing that I couldn't tear my eyes away. Carl began yelling at the man. I couldn't hear every word but the gist of it was that the man had evidently tried to cheat Carl and the others by selling them cocaine that had been cut with synthetic materials. The man was begging for forgiveness but it didn't do any good and before I knew what was happening, I watched as Carl shot the man several times. He made sure that the man suffered before he died. It was the most sadistic thing I had ever seen. I couldn't believe it. It took everything I had not to scream. _

_Finally I was able to get my feet to move and I ran. I didn't even know where I was going...I just ran until I saw a police station. When I told them my story, they immediately contacted the Feds and then things just started to whirlwind out of control from there. To make an already long story short, the Feds informed me that they had been after Carl and his father for years but without success. Evidently they were tied to the Mangini Crime Family in New York and Chicago and had been one of the biggest drug runners in and out of the United States for years. My eyewitness testimony would give them the chance they need to finally take them down."_

"Mamma Mia," Dom said under his breath.

_"Yeah." _Cait agreed. "_After the shock wore off, I agreed to turn state's evidence against Carl and several of the associates and testify before the grand jury. Of course you can imagine Carl's reaction, he vowed revenge on me, no matter how long it took. Knowing that Carl and his father had long-reaching contacts, I was put under the custody of the US Marshals and into the Witness Protection Program. I was a perfect fit for it since I had no family. I never knew my father and my mother died when I was only 7 years old. I was basically raised in foster homes in Kansas. There would be no one to miss me. _

_I was given a new identity as Caitlin O'Shannessy, a fake family and history were created, and I was sent to Texas where I was given the opporturnity to start over. I was so young and wanted nothing more than to get away from all of that, that I jumped at the chance. When they gave me a new identity they asked me what I wanted to do and I told them I had always wanted to learn to fly and that's how I got my chopper license. From there it just seemed a natural to go into law enforcement and that's where you guys found me two years ago."_

Hawke, who had barely moved a muscle during Caitlin's whole speech, finally stirred in his chair and spoke up. "And the phone call today?"

"It was from my contact within the Witness Protection Program. Carl's escaped. Evidently there was a riot at the prison and in all of the confusion, he was able to walk away. When they went through the things in his cell they found a piece of paper with my name on it...or at least the name of Caitlin O'Shannessy. They figure he's found me and is probably headed this way."

"Oh, Honey..." Dom said as he stood and put his arm around the now shaking Caitlin.

Hawke, still appearing very unemotional, had more questions for Caitlin,though. "So what does that mean, Caitlin...or should I call you, Katherine?"

Caitlin looked at Hawke and she knew he was trying to process everything. While Dom's first instinct was to comfort, Hawke needed to analyze and leave any emotions behind. "Please, Hawke...I AM Caitlin. I have been for eight years. I barely remember who Katherine was anymore. And what it means is that the Marshals want to put me back into the program with a whole new identity. If they have their way, within the next 48 hours, Caitlin O'Shannessy will cease to exist."

"What?!" Dom exclaimed. "They can't just do that!"

"So you've come to say goodbye?" Hawke asked with an icy stare that pierced Caitlin's heart. She could see that the Hawke felt deceived and was beginning to close down.

"No, actually the opposite. I'm going to refuse the program."

Dom was now torn between wanting Caitlin to be safe and keeping her here. "Cait, I don't want you to leave but if you refuse to back in, you're putting yourself in a world of danger, sweetheart."

"I know that, Dom," Caitlin said to the older man. "But I've thought about this. If I go back in then Carl may as well just kill me. I've worked hard to become Caitlin O'Shannessy. I like her and this life. I've made some special connections here," she said as she gave Dom a quick wink and then looked over to Hawke who was refusing to look at her at the moment. "I don't want to start over and even if it means risking my life then it's worth it. I can't just keep running scared the rest of my life. So I went and talked to Archangel after I received the call. He's willing to use FIRM resources to help do whatever he can to get Carl. He'll work with the Marshall Service."

Disengaging herself from Dom, Caitlin walked over to the chair that Hawke was sitting in and knelt down beside it. "All that I need now is to know if you'll give me your support."

"Well of course we will!" Dom stated from behind her while Hawke remained stoic.

"Hawke?" Caitlin asked tentatively. Hawke just stared at her for a few moments and then without a word, rose from his chair, turned and walked out the door.

_TBC..._


	4. Chapter 4

**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

**Chapter 3**

"String!" Dom yelled after Hawke as he walked out the door.

"No, Dom...it's okay." Caitlin said as she watched Hawke leave. "Let's give him a few minutes. He won't talk until he's ready anyways."

Caitlin slid down into the chair that Hawke had just vacated. "Oh Dom, what am I going to do? If I don't have Hawke's support, there's not much reason for me to stay."

Dom came over and sat on the hearth next to Caitlin's chair. Reaching out he took her hand in his. "Listen, sweetheart, we're going to do the same thing we always do. We're going to work together and get this Simmons fella out of your life once and for all."

"Thanks, Dom," Caitlin said with a weak smile. "But will things ever really be the same? Hawke isn't ever going to look at me the same ever again."

"He'll come around, Cait...you'll see. You know it just takes that boy a little time to get beyond his own hard headedness."

Caitlin nodded. She knew that Dom was probably right but right now it was hard to see that light at the end of the tunnel. Knowing she didn't have much time, Caitlin decided she probably at least needed to try to talk to Hawke. Giving Dom a quick pat on his shoulder, Caitlin got up.

"You want me to come with you?" Dom asked as Caitlin headed for the door.

"No thanks, Dom. I need to do this alone. It'll be alright."

AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW AWAWAWAW

Hawke had walked out of the cabin with no particular destination in mind but he wasn't surprised when he found himself walking down by the water's edge. Something about the sun setting over the lake had always calmed him. He wasn't really sure why he walked out on Caitlin, and he knew that it must have hurt her to have him do so but that really hadn't been his intention. After hearing Caitlin's story though, he just started to feel as if the walls had been closing in on him. Logically he knew that Caitlin hadn't set out to deceive him and that he couldn't blame her for that but yet somehow he still felt betrayed. Hawke didn't trust many people to begin with and to find out that one of the few he had finally allowed himself to place that trust in was nothing that she had presented herself to be, no matter the reason, kind of felt like a deal-breaker for him.

Yet, this was Caitlin. Hawke knew in his heart that she would never intentionally do anything to betray him in anyway. Hell, she had saved his ass on more than one occasion proving her loyalty. Over the last two years, she had become so much more than a business-partner to him. She had become a real friend, maybe even his best friend. She always seemed to be there when he needed someone, even when he didn't know he needed her. He knew she could be counted on and other than Dom, there was no one else he could ever want to have his back on an Airwolf mission.

So why had he really walked out? If he was being honest, he was scared. He knew if she re-entered the Witness Protection Program she would be lost to him forever. For Hawke, it was too close to the situation with his brother, St. John. The thought of knowing she was out there but that he couldn't reach out and touch her or see her...it was just too hard. He was already dealing with that with St. John, he couldn't do it with another person he loved. "_Love, wow...that's the first time I think I've really used that word in conjunction with Caitlin but I guess it is the word that fits."_

Hawke knew what he had to do. It was time to get over his own problems and be there for Caitlin just like he knew she would be there for him if the situation was reversed. It was time to quit thinking about himself and put Caitlin first. It was the least he could do for her. Having made up his mind he turned to head back to the cabin and ran straight into Caitlin.

"Hawke?" Caitlin said as he turned, practically running into her.

Hawke took one look at her and he knew instantly that he had hurt her deeply. Yet here she was, as always, not giving up on him. It took one hell of a woman to come after him after the way he had treated her when she needed him most. He didn't deserve her but the one thing he knew at that moment was that he needed her. Without sayiing a word, Hawke reached out and putting his arms around her, he pulled her close.

Cait had come after Hawke with every intention of giving him a piece of he mind but when he suddenly reached out and pulled her in, she could see in his eyes that something was different. When she realized that he didn't plan on stopping with just holding her she wanted to pull back but couldn't make herself do it. When his lips met hers, she could feel his desperation and his passion, all mixed into one. She also couldn't resist and gave him back everything with a passion of her own.

When he finally pulled back to catch his breath, Hawke knew that he would never doubt this woman again and that anything that had happened in the past didn't matter. He just prayed he wasn't too late. Taking her face in his hands, he stared past her beautiful blue/green eyes into her soul. "Caitlin, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I just got scared. Please tell me you'll let me help you. If you left, I don't think I could make it without you. Please forgive me."

Caitlin was so wrought with the pure emotion she could feel coming from Hawke, she could barely speak. Nodding she reached up took one of Hawke's hands and held it palm up and brought it to her lips for a gentle kiss. "It's okay, Hawke. I was scared too. I never wanted you to think that I had lied to you. I really am Caitlin O'Shannessy and everything you know about Cait is really who I am. Katherine has been gone from me for so long now that she's more like someone I just used to know. You've got to know that you're the main reason that I can't go back to the program. I couldn't stand losing the best friend I've ever had."

"You won't lose me, Cait." Hawke assured her as he wiped a tear from her cheek. "Not now and not ever. I need you, more than I even realized." Pulling her back in, Hawke leaned in for another kiss. It was then that Caitlin knew she was making the right decision to stay and fight.

_TBC_..


	5. Chapter 5

**The** **Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

**Chapter 4**

Dom grinned happily from the doorway as he watched Hawke walk Caitlin back to the cabin with his arm securely around her waist.

"So I take it you guys worked things out?" Dom asked as the two approached the front porch.

"Yeah," Hawke said simply with a slight grin of his own.

"Well, it's about time!" Dom exclaimed with his hands on his hips. "I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever get through that hard head of yours. But I knew if anybody could, it'd be our girl here. So now we can get back to the problem at hand. What's next, Cait?"

"I told Michael that I would meet him back at his office at 8:00 in the morning. He'll make contact with the US Marshall assigned to my case then. He's also put the word out about among his FIRM contacts about finding Carl. He said he'd let me know if he heard anything."

"What about tonight, Caitlin? You're not going back to your apartment...not alone," Hawke stated, his protective nature kicking in.

"I couldn't even if I wanted to, Hawke. I've already cleared out those personal belongings that are most important to me. They're in the chopper. I knew that no matter what my decision, I had to be ready to clear out at a moment's notice. It's one thing they drill into your head in the program. You learn real quickly not to get too attached to things, at least not more than you can carry with you."

"Fine. You'll stay here tonight. Dom, you take the Stars and Stripes back to the hangar and Cait and I can fly the Sikorsky in in the morning. We'll meet you at Michael's office at 8:00."

"Sounds like a plan," Dom agreed. Pulling his satin ball cap out of his coat pocket and placing it on his head, Dom approached Cait and dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. "You know I've still got a lot of questions, Caitlin, but they can wait. For now, I'm just glad you felt you could confide in us and that you're safe. We'll get this taken care of, just you wait and see."

"I know, Dom. Thanks," Caitlin returned with a smile.

Hawke and Cait watched Dom as he headed down the pier and then took off in the chopper headed back to Van Auys. Once he was out of sight, Hawke guided Caitlin inside.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

"Why do I get the funny feeling you haven't eaten anything in a while?" Hawke asked as he cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at Caitlin.

"I guess I haven't," Caitlin agreed as she suddenly realized she was ravenous. Hawke was right, she couldn't remember eating anything since a couple of pieces of toast for breakfast that morning.

Gesturing towards the bar stools at the counter that divided the kitchen from the living room, Hawke headed towards the kitchen. "Dom and I ate all the fish but I think I could make you a pretty good omelet," he said as he began to root around in the refrigerator.

"Sounds great," Caitlin answered as she took a seat. Soon a comfortable silence seemed to fill the air. Nothing much was said while Hawke prepared the eggs. Once they were done, he placed them on a plate in front of her and then poured a glass of wine for each of them. Hawke came around the counter and took the seat next to her while she ate. He smiled as he watched her attack the eggs with gusto. That was one thing that could be always be said for Cait, she wasn't afraid to eat. He often wondered how she kept herself so trim but realized that between all of the manual labor they did on the choppers and the karate that he knew she practiced several times a week, she kept herself in excellent physical condition. When she was finished he picked up her plate and took it over to the sink. Coming back he topped off their wine glasses and carried them over towards the hearth.

"Join me over here, Caitlin," he said as he placed some pillows on the floor and took a seat in front of the fire.

Cait took a seat next to him and smiled as he automatically put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her comfortably into his side. For a few minutes neither said anything and then Hawke turned towards Caitlin. "Tell me about her, Cait. Tell me about Katherine," he asked gently.

Taking a sip of her wine to give herself a moment to gather her thoughts, Cait shrugged her shoulders. "There's really not much to tell, Hawke. Sometimes, it's like I can hardly even remember who that person was. Like I said, I was an only child. My mother never told me anything about my father and then when I was seven years old, my mother died from cancer. I was put into the foster system and spent the rest of my childhood and teenage years going from one foster home to another. I spent time with some pretty good families but who wants to adopt a gangly, pre-teen girl, you know?

Because of that, I guess, I learned quickly that I had to learn to rely on myself and became pretty self sufficient at a young age. I also put a lot of my focus on my studies in school. I figured a good scholarship would be my one ticket out and it was...I just never dreamed what it would lead to."

Hawke could tell that Caitlin didn't have an easy time discussing the early part of her life. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the top of her head to show her that she had his support. He decided maybe it was too much for her to deal with right now and moved on to what he hoped was something more pleasant for her.

"So then, tell me about Caitlin O'Shannessy. How did this wonderful girl that I met in Texas come to be?" he asked with a sweet smile. He was enjoying getting to know her all over again. Somehow this all seemed so intimate and he couldn't seem to get enough of her.

"Do you really want to hear all of this, Hawke?" Caitlin asked as she turned to look him in the eye. This was a new Hawke she was seeing and she wasn't sure that maybe he was just feeling guilty for his reaction earlier. But when she looked deep into those piercing blue eyes, she could tell things had changed between them. His interest seemed genuine and she felt closer to him than she ever had before.

"I really want to know, Caitlin. Tell me," he gently insisted as he brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Well when you get put into the program, they allow you to have some input. They were the ones that decided on Texas, with my accent it seemed a natural but I told them what I would like to do. I guess they figure that if you're going to have to live this new life then you need to be happy with it. It makes it easier to learn your new identity as well. I knew right away that I wanted to fly. It was something that, even as a little girl, always held my fascination. I think it was because I always felt trapped in a lot of ways, flying seemed like the ultimate form of freedom. I'll never forget the first time I went up in a chopper. It took my breath away. I was hooked immediately." Hawke smiled as he listened to Cait's story. He could relate to her innate love of flying. He knew it was why she had become such a good pilot.

Cait turned and settled into Hawke's embrace as she continued. "Once I got my helicopter license, law enforcement just seemed a natural. After all I had been through with Carl, I wanted to help others. If I could keep somebody else from having to go through what I did, then it would be worth it. Somehow though, that really didn't pan out the way I had hoped, you know ending up as a flying meter maid and all," she said with a sly smile.

"Yeah, but you were the cutest flying meter maid I've ever seen," Hawke teased her back.

Caitlin blushed as she let out a little giggle. "Lucky for me, something happened to change all of that though."

"Oh yeah?" Hawke asked. "And what was that?"

"Oh, well, this handsome white knight with the most amazing blue eyes I had ever seen, flying a magnificent, chain-gun laden, big black helicopter came and rescued me and swept me away from all that," Cait grinned as she looked up at Hawke.

"Actually I've read that fairy tale, and if I remember correctly, it was that meter maid that came in search of the so-called-knight. She was a very determined lady."

"Well she is when she knows what she wants," Caitlin said with a smirk.

The two sat lost in their memories of when they had met for a few minutes. Finally, Hawke broke the silence. "Caitlin, what really happened when you came to California? I mean, I would guess you just can't leave someplace once you're in the program?"

"No, you can't. But after you shot up the town there was all this attention being focused there. My contact with the Marshal's office agreed that while we didn't think my identity had been compromised, leaving the area might not be a bad idea. So when I told him I wouldn't mind heading to California, although I may not have quite honest about why, well he thought it was a good idea."

"And that's when you showed up here." Hawke concluded matter of factly.

"Yeah."

"And all of those phone calls with your mother and the trips back to Texas?" Hawke asked.

"Orchestrated by the Marshal's office. When I did leave, it was usually for a meet with the agent in charge of my case. Half the time I wasn't even in Texas," Cait said quietly. Sitting up, she turned to face Hawke and grabbed his hands in her own. "I'm so sorry for lying to you Hawke. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to tell you the truth. It hurt everytime I had to lie to you."

For a moment Hawke just stared off into space. Caitlin feared that maybe he was rethinking the whole situation and decided that maybe he wasn't so happy with her after all. "Hawke?"

After a few seconds, Hawke pulled her closer and put his arms more tightly around her. "You just did what you had to do, Caitlin. And I'm glad you did. If you hadn't you could have put yourself in a lot of danger and they would have taken you away from me. Nothing is worth that."

After a few more minutes of just being together, Hawke finally realized how late it was getting. "Hey, we've got an early meet in the morning with Michael, we'd better get some sleep. Why don't you take the bed and I'll sleep down here."

"You sure, Hawke?" Caitlin said as she finished off the last of her wine. "I mean, we could share the bed if you wanted."

"Oh, baby...I do want to but not this way, not tonight," he said as he gently stroked her cheek. "I don't want to rush things and I don't want either of us to look back and think that we only slept together because we were scared or we needed somebody's touch. When the time comes, I want to make love to you and I don't want to be rushed or have you think for any reason that I'm with you for any other reason than I love you. I want to do this right. I've messed up so much with you already, I swear I just want to make it up to you and do things right...the way you deserve. Do you understand?"

Blown away by his sincerety and his consideration of her feelings, Cait just nodded. "You have nothing to make up for, String," she assured him quietly. "But if that's what you want, that's good enough for me." Giving him one last kiss she got up and started for the stairs. Stopping when she got to the landing, she turned and looked back at Hawke who was staring back at her. "Thank you," was all she said. Hawke, too emotional to speak, gave her a wink and a smile as she retreated to the loft.

It was another hour before Hawke moved from his spot. In the span of the last couple of hours his whole world had changed in so many ways, he needed time to process it. He didn't know what was going to happen from here, but he knew that whatever it was, Caitlin would be a part of it and that, for now, was all he needed to know.

_TBC..._


	6. Chapter 6

_**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**_

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

**Chapter 5**

Caitlin woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee brewing. Rolling over she saw that the bedside clock read 6:00 am. Knowing Hawke, he had probably already been up for a couple of hours. He seemed to get by on very little sleep from what Caitlin could tell. Evidently he'd been awake long enought to unpack all of her things from the chopper as she found them waiting for her in the bedroom.

Getting out of bed she headed for the bathroom and took a quick shower before getting dressed and heading down to the kitchen.

"Coffee?" Hawke greeted her at the bottom of the steps, coffee mug already in hand.

"Yeah, thanks," she answered with a yawn. Leaning over, Hawke gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as he handed her his mug. "How'd you sleep?

"Okay, I guess. Had a few dreams I haven't had in a long time," Caitlin said as she headed towards one of the bar stools and took a seat.

"You know, about Carl. I used to have them all the time when it first happened. I guess all of this has stirred them back up."

"Why didn't you come get me?" Hawke asked with concern.

"It's okay, I can handle it Hawke," Caitlin said as she stirred her coffee. "And I guess I'm so used to having to handle this alone that I forgot I could actually talk to somebody about it now."

"Well then I guess I'm just going to have to keep reminding you, huh?" Hawke said as he winked at her. "Are you about ready to go? I've got the chopper ready and we need to get to Michael's to see if he's come up with anything."

"Ready," Caitlin confirmed as she downed the last of her coffee and got up from the bar stool. Hawke met her at the door, her coat in hand. After he helped her slip her coat on, he turned her to face him. "Caitlin, you know that whatever happens, Dom and I, we've got your back. You don't have to go through this alone any longer."

"I know, Hawke. I couldn't do this without you," she said as she leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Now...let's go get this bastard."

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Caitlin, Dom and Hawke walked into Michael's office at precisely 8:00 a.m. The spy turned and was relieved to see that Caitlin had convinced the two pilots to work with her, not that he had much doubt. He'd always suspected that Hawke held a special place in his heart for the red head, even if he had been too stubborn to admit it. And after what he had just learned, he knew that Caitlin would need all the support she could get.

"Michael?" Hawke asked as they entered the office. He never was one for using more words than needed.

"Good morning to you, too, Hawke" Michael said sarcastically as he gestured for the three to take a seat. Caitlin complied by taking a seat in one of the chairs across from Michael's desk as Hawke sat next to her on the arm of the same chair. Dom settled himself into the second chair as Michael continued, "I wish I had something good to tell you but I'm afraid things may have just gone from bad to worse," the spy said as he nervously adjusted his glasses.

"Meaning?" Dom asked. "C'mon Michael, spit it out!"

"Meaning, Dominic, that we have good reason to believe that Carl Simmons may have more information on Caitlin than we originally hoped."

"How?" Caitlin asked as Hawke protectively slid his arm around her shoulders.

"This morning I made contact with the US Marshall's Service. After finally convincing them that I was actually trying to work WITH them instead of against them and after several phone calls to Washington so they could verify my information, I got through to the division that was in charge of Katherine Sullivan's case...Caitlin, here, as we know her. When I asked to speak with the agent in charge of her case..."

"Denny Hamilton," Caitlin interjected. "He's great. He's always really cared about what happened to me. I don't think I could havegotten through the whole process without him."

Michael nodded in agreement. "Yes, but when I asked to talk to him things took a bad turn. Caitlin, I'm really sorry to tell you this but Marshall Hamilton was murdered in his home yesterday. They're pretty sure it was Carl."

"What?!" Caitlin said with a gasp. Hawke could feel her start to shake.

"How do they know it was Simmons?" Hawke asked as he gripped Caitlin just a little tighter.

Taking a quick look at Caitlin before continuing, Michael stroked his mustache before continuing. "He'd been shot, mob style, once in the back of head. And the shooter had left behind a calling card."

"A white lily.." Caitlin whispered under her breath.

"Yes." Michael agreed.

"Caitlin, how did you know that?" Dom asked.

"Carl used to say that they were his favorite flower. I would get bouquets of them all time when we were dating," Caitlin explained. "It wasn't until Carl's trial that I learned they were also the national flower of Italy and that the Mangini syndicate that Carl and his father were working for had been using them as their calling cards every time they made a hit."

"Mamma Mia!" Dom exclaimed as Hawke made a mental note to never send Caitlin lillies.

"So what are you saying, Michael? You think Hamilton gave up information on Caitlin?" Hawke asked.

"Denny wouldn't do that!" Caitlin demanded forcefully.

"Normally I would say you were right, Cait," Michael said as he walked out from behind his desk and leaned against the front of it. "From all accounts, Marshall Hamilton was one of the best. However, there are reports that there were signs of torture that may have taken place before they shot him. I won't go into detail but from what I've heard, even if he did give up information, it must have taken quite a bit before he talked going by the amount of injury left on the body."

Cait hung her head as Michael spoke. From the shaking of her shoulders the men could tell that she was crying.

"It's going to be okay, Caitlin," Hawke tried to soothe her as he knelt down beside her. "I'm sorry about the Marshall but I promise you, we'll find this guy and we'll make him pay."

"How Hawke? Denny was one of the good guys and now he's dead because of me. If you or Dom or Michael get in his way...he'll kill you, too! I can't let that happen. Maybe it's just time I give him what he wants...me."

"Caitlin!" Dominic said in disbelief. "No, honey...you're not thinking straight."

"Dom's right, Cait. There's no way in hell I'm letting you do that!," Hawke stated clearly as he took his index finger and put it under her chin so she had to look in his eyes. "You listen and you listen good, I meant it when said we're going to get this guy. Remember at the cabin when I told you you didn't have to go through this by yourself?"

Caitlin nodded silently as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Good, because I meant it. Dom, Michael and me...we're here because we want to be and together we're going to get out of this. Understood?"

"I just don't.." Caitlin started to protest but was stopped by Hawke.

"No, Caitlin. There's nothing you can say that is going to convince any of us to let you turn yourself over to this mad man. Now you can either work with us or I can send you into protective custody with some of Michael's buddies until this has all been taken care of...your choice."

Caitlin looked from Michael to Dom, both of whom were nodding in agreement with the younger man, and back into the steel blue determination of Hawke's eyes. "With you it is then, Hawke," Caitlin said as she reached up and softly stroked his cheek. "I'll always go with you."

"Thatta girl!" Dominic said proudly as he winked at Caitlin.

Giving Cait a quick kiss, Hawke turned back towards the spy who couldn't keep himself from smiling at the couple. "Okay, Michael...now tell us what you know about Simmons' current whereabouts."

_TBC..._

_A/N: well, it looks like our adventure is really just beginning. I have a feeling this one could be my epic story piece. THanks so much for the positive feedback so far. Please keep the reviews coming...good or bad...they really do keep the muse motivated. _


	7. Chapter 7

_**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**_

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

**Chapter 6**

"Unfortunately, Hawke, we haven't been able to get an exact location on Simmons," Michael explained as he headed over towards the computer built into the wall of his office. The spy typed in a few commands and a photo of Carl Simmons popped up on the large screen. Caitlin couldn't help but audibly gasp at the image.

"He looks so old," she said to no one in particular.

"This was taken a few months ago at the prison," Michael explained. "If it gives you any satisfaction, he hasn't had an easy time behind bars. Prison life can make you age quickly."

"You okay, Caitlin?" Hawke asked.

"Yeah, I just haven't seen him in so long and I guess it just caught me off guard," she said. "Go ahead with what you were telling us, Michael. I'm fine."

"So, I've distributed this photo to all of our operatives between here and Arlington, Virginia...Marshall Hamilton's home base. It's also been given to all of the Organized Crime units within Federal Agencies along with a synopsis of what's going on. These guys are intimately familiar with the Mangini Crime Family and are almost as hot to get Simmons back behind bars as you are. They have all the known Mangini gathering spots and leaders staked out. Our best intelligence tell us that Hamilton's time of death was sometime around midnight last night, give or take an hour, so that gives us a timetable to begin with."

"That's it?" Hawke asked with obvious annoyance. "All the resources of the US Government and all we have is a few photos handed out and an experienced hit man whose out to get Caitlin with at least an eight hour lead possibly heading this way and who could be anywhere between the Atlantic and the Pacific? That's just great, Michael! What the hell are we supposed to do with that?"

"Dammit, Hawke, what do you exect from me? I'm not Houdini and I can't just make this guy appear with a snap of my fingers!" the spy argued back. "Don't you think I want this guy, too? We're doing everything humanly possible to track Simmons but there's a whole underground world out there run by the mafia that knows how to hide one of their own. There's only so much I can do!"

"Stop it!" Caitlin stood up and placed herself between the two men. "Please, this is hard enough, I can't stand to have us fighting each other as well," she said firmly as she faced down Hawke with one of his own patented stares. "Now, Hawke, you know Michael is doing whatever he can and Michael," she continued as she turned to face the white-clad agent, "you know that Hawke is just frustrated, like the rest of us. He just gets a little hot-headed sometimes and speaks before he thinks. Now, both of you need to calm down so we can focus on what's really important...finding Carl before he finds us."

Both men suddenly found the floor very interesting as they hung their heads at Cait's chastisement. Michael was the first to respond, "Sorry, Hawke, Cait's right."

"Yeah, me too, Michael," Hawke said somewhat sheepishly.

"That's better!" Caitlin said with a smile as she heard Dom chuckle from his seat.

"What's so funny, Dom?" Hawke asked as he glared at the older man.

"Oh nothing, String, except for the fact of how two of the most headstrong men I've ever known can instantly be brought to their knees by one sweet, freckle-faced, young lady," Dom said with a grin.

"Yeah, well maybe so, Dom," Hawke said as his hand came instinctively to his chest, "but I've already been on the receiving end of one of this 'freckle-faced young lady's' roundhouse karate kicks before, and believe me, she's not as sweet as she may seem!" A hint of a smile crossed his face as Caitlin blushed and Michael and Dom laughed heartily .

With the tension in the room having been disapated everyone turned their attention back to the matter-at-hand.

"Hey Michael," Dom said as he stood and joined the others over by the computer. "Didn't you say that there was something found in Simmons' cell that had Cait's name on it?"

"Yes," What are you getting at, Dom?" Michael asked as he gave the older pilot an inquisitive look.

"Well, I'm not sure but I can't help but wonder...was that it? Was it just a piece of paper with her name or maybe there was something else written on it that could give us a clue."

"Good thinking, Dominic," the spy said as he leaned over the computer keyboard and typed in a few more commands. "I think they sent pictures of everything they found in the cell...let's take a look."

After scrolling through a few photo's, Michael stopped at what appeared to be a photograph of a well-creased piece of notebook paper with Caitlin's name clearly handwritten across the middle of it. Below the name, written so lightly that they were barely visible,. were 2 six digit numbers.

"From what I was told," Michael expounded, "this was found folded up inside the mattress of his bunk. They almost missed it the first time through."

"What are those numbers?" Caitlin asked as she stepped forward to take a closer look. "Michael, can you enhance this picture at all?" she asked. WIth a few clicks on the keyboard, the photo was enhanced 10 times. Upon closer inspection, Caitlin was able to make out that the first number was 327253 and was followed by a small arrow pointing up, while the second number, 973206 was followed by an arrow pointing to the left.

"Does that computer of yours know geographical coordinates?" Hawke suddenly asked as he thought he recognized the numbers.

"Of course!" Dom said under his breath.

"I'm sure it does," Michael answered. "Why?"

"Type in those numbers, Michael" Hawke commanded. "Except put in a period after the first two digits in each number."

As he did so, everyone watched the monitor as they held their breath. As soon as Michael had typed them in, a map appeared on the screen, with the coordinates that were on the piece of paper centered right over Pope County, Texas.

"God in Heaven," Caitlin said as she realized what Hawke had figured out. "They're longitude and latitude designations."

"And they lead right to where we first found you in Texas!" Dom exclaimed.

"Of course!" Michael said as he tapped his cane on the floor. "Why didn't anybody see that before?"

"Because Michael, unless you're used to reading coordinates you'd never recognize them as such, especially written the way they were. They were written like a code so that if anybody found the paper, they'd have no idea what it meant but I'd say that it gives us a pretty good idea of where Simmons is headed. Evidently, Simmons information source was a little outdated and if we're lucky, Hamilton didn't give up Cait's move to California and let Simmons think she was still in Texas. It's a long shot, but it's more than we had to go on before."

"Well I say we give him a big Texas welcome, huh kid?" Dom said with a grin. "I think I know a lady who'd like to greet him personally."

"Exactly what I was thinking, Dom." Hawke said as he turned to Cait. "How about it, Caitlin? You up for a return trip to Pope County?"

"Well, it's not my first choice of a vacation spot, but why not?" she said with a smile.

"I'll keep my men here on alert just in case we've figured wrong and Simmons shows up at the hangar or Cait's apartment," Michael offered. "I'll also give a heads up to my contacts in Texas."

"That's fine, Michael," Hawke stated, "but if they see him before we get there, tell them to stay clear. This one's mine," Hawke said with conviction.

"Ours!" Caitlin corrected him.

"She's right, String...I think we all want a little bit of this one," Dom agreed.

"Just be careful!" Michael said as he watched the trio head for the door. "And good luck."

_TBC..._

_A/N: Just a quick note...since I don't think there is a real Pope County, Texas, the coordinates I used were the ones for Ft Worth. _


	8. Chapter 8

_**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**_

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

**Chapter 7**

After leaving Archangel's office, Dom headed back to Santini Air while Hawke and Cait headed to the cabin so that they could all get what they needed for the trip to Texas. Hawke and Cait would fly back and pick up Dom to go to The Lair in a couple of hours.

During the flight to the cabin, Hawke couldn't help but notice how quiet Cait had become. She had barely spoken a word since leaving Knightsbridge.

"Earth to Cait," Hawke finally said as he looked over at her from the pilot's seat.

"Huh?"

"You okay?" he asked with concern. "You know you can still choose to stay behind if you want. Dom and I can handle this, nobody would think any less of you."

"No, it's not that, Hawke," Cait said as she continued to stare out at the sky around her. "I want to go...no I _have _to go."

"Then what is it? Talk to me, Caitlin."

"I don't know, Hawke. I guess that seeing that picture of Carl really threw me. It just brought everything back and made it all real again. I'm not really sure how to explain it, really. I have nothing but disgust for him and what he does but at the same time, this was a man that I really thought I loved for a time in my life. There was a side to him that was so opposite to everything you know about him now. He could be kind and gentle and I think in his own way he really did love me."

"Yeah, so much that he wants to kill you," Hawke said with a snarl.

"I'm not saying it makes sense, String...I'm just trying to be honest with you and tell you what I'm feeling. Goodness knows I can't justify the way I feel myself...I just know that seeing him again has stirred up a whole mess of emotions that I thought were long gone."

"I'm sorry, Cait," Hawke said as he reached over and laid a hand on her forearm. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I know this must be really difficult. What can I do?"

"Just don't go anywhere, Hawke," Caitlin said quietly as she laid her other hand over the top of his.

Hawke was surprised to hear the amount of vulnerability and fragility in Cailtin's voice. It was probably the first time that he actually realized exactly how frightening this had all been for her, even more than he had imagined. It shook him to his core to think how for the past eight years she had had to live her life looking over her shoulder. Yet in the midst of all that she had been able to bring such joy and stability to his own life. Hawke suddenly felt really selfish for even thinking about his own feelings since this all started. This wasn't about him...it was about giving Caitlin back her life and security.

"I'm not going anywhere,Caitlin. I promise," he said as he turned and smiled at her. "I'm here for as long as you'll have me."

"That could be a really, really long time," Cait answered as she squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

"I hope so, baby. I hope so."

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

By two oclock that afternoon, the three pilots were well on their way to Texas. Hawke was piloting Airwolf with Caitlin in the co-pilot's chair and Dom in his usual engineer's spot.

Not long after leaving The Lair, Michael contacted them through the video communications system on board the helicopter.

"Yeah, Michael...what do you have?" Hawke asked as he answered the call.

"Looks like we might have gotten lucky, Hawke. Earlier today, the Feds intercepted a few phone calls from some of the top brass in the Mangini Syndicate in New York to a suspected crime cell near Pope County. Everything was spoken in code but from what they can tell the New York people were telling the Texas group to be expecting a few visitors that would be needing a safe place to stay as well as access to weapons."

"That's gotta be Simmons!" Dom chimed in from the back of the chopper.

"We think so, too." Michael agreed. "I've got a contact waiting for you just outside Pope County in a little place called Willow Springs. I'm sending coordinates."

"I know the place," Cait confirmed.

"Good. Your contact's name is Ed Hargraves. He's not officially FIRM personnel but we've worked with him before and he's sympathetic to our causes," Michael explained rather cryptically. "Anyways, he has more specific information on the location we believe that Simmons may be holing up and he'll do whatever he can to help you out."

"Sounds good," Hawke said.

"Yeah, well, just remember, you're dealing with a very large and very powerful and dangerous crime syndicate. No matter how much we prepare, there's a lot of unknowns out there. Watch your backs. I'll contact you if I hear anything else."

"Thanks, Michael," Caitlin said as Hawke cut the feed.

Dom typed in the coordinates that MIchael had sent. "String, we're about an hour out. From the map, it looks like it's pretty secluded, shouldn't have any problems hiding The Lady."

"Okay, Dom."

"You good?" Hawke asked as he turned to Caitlin.

"Yep. Just feels good to finally doing something proactive instead of running the other way," Caitlin answered with a nod. "Anyways, with you, Dom and Airwolf on her side, how can a girl lose?"

"Alright, Dom, you heard the lady. Set the course and let's do this."

_TBC.._


	9. Chapter 9

_**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**_

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

**Chapter 8**

It was almost sunset by the time the Airwolf crew made it to Willow Springs, found a place to secure The Lady, met up with their FIRM contact and made it to the lodging that Ed had secured for them. Sitting around the table at what appeared to be a long-abandoned hunters cabin that would be their base of operations, the four finished up a quick meal.

"Sorry I couldn't get you nicer accomodations," Ed lamented. "But I figured the less conspicuos the better. I hope you don't mind."

"It'll do fine," Dom assured the man. "We've seen worse. So, if you don't mind me asking, Ed, how do you know Archangel?"

Ed laughed as he sat back and took out a smoking pipe and lit it. "Well, Mr. Santini, that's a long story and I don't think we really have time for that right now. Let's just say that Michael and I have crossed paths on many occasions and while we don't always see eye-to-eye on things, we've found that helping each other out when we can has proven to be advantageous to us both. You know, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

Dom chuckled as he thought about the Airwolf crew's own situation with the spy. "I know exactly what you mean, Ed. And call me Dom."

Not one to engage in much small talk, Hawke was ready to find out what information Ed had for them. "So, Hargraves, Michael said that you would have some information on Simmons and his location. What can you tell us?"

Picking up a briefcase from beside his chair, Hargraves opened it and pulled out several maps and a manilla folder. Caitlin and Dom quickly cleared the supper dishes and put them in the sink as Ed spread out the maps on the table. As soon as all four were back at the table, Hargraves told them what he had been able to find out.

"As best as we can tell, Simmons and several of his men arrived by helicopter early this afternoon. They appear to have appropriated a large house, here," Ed stated as he pointed to a spot on the map on the outskirts of Pope County, about 40 miles from the cabin they were currently in.

"I know that place," Caitlin said as she looked at the map. "It's the Ferguson Estate. We always suspected that old-manFerguson was involved in some dirty dealings but law enforcement could never seem to prove it. I guess we were right."

Nodding his head in agreeement, Ed continued. "Yeah, Ferguson's small potatoes in the Mangini operation. We figure he's hoping that by helping out Simmons, he'll get another rung or two up the ladder."

"You said Simmons arrived with several men, got anything more specific?" Hawke asked as he studied the map.

"Yeah, there were four that came in with him on the chopper. We've identified all of them, basically just hired guns regularly used to do Mangini dirty work. Here, take a look at these," Ed instructed as he pushed the manilla folder into the middle of the table. "They're not very clear but it's the best I could do with the distance I had to keep."

Opening the folder, Hawke spread the contents out on top of the maps. There were a dozen photos of a chopper and five men disembarking that were obviously taken with a telephoto lens. There were also several pictures of the house and surrounding grounds.

"That's Carl," Caitlin said as she pointed to a dark-haired man in one of the photos.

Ed nodded his confirmation as he explained, "As you can see, he's keeping himself pretty well protected. I've been watching him all afternoon...he's never without at least two or three bodyguards around him at all times. They are all heavily armed, machine guns, high-powered rifles...you name it."

What about the estate? Any chance of us making a house call there?" Dom asked.

"Probably not," Ed said as he took a puff on his pipe. "Ferguson's got that place locked down tighter than Ft. Knox...rolling, armored patrols, dogs, and cameras monitoring the whole place. Get anywhere inside 100 yards of that place and they'll see you coming."

"So what now?" Dom asked as he removed his ball cap and scratched his head.

"Well, we've got to believe that Simmons is still working on the assumption that Ms. O'Shannessy here is still in town and working for the THP," Ed explained. " So, I've talked to the head of the local post, a Captain Frank Pearson. He'll cover for us when Simmons comes asking. The story is that Ms. O'Shannessy is in Ft. Worth doing some testifying on a case in Federal court, happens all the time with THP officers, and she's expected back day after tomorrow. I figure it gives us a little time to do some planning."

"Good thinking," Hawke agreed. "I'd love to get a look at that estate. We can take Airwolf up tomorrow and get a good look in the daylight from a safe distance."

"Sounds good. I'll leave you with the maps and surveillance photos," Ed said as he closed up his briefcase. "I've pretty much done all that I can at this point. I'll be heading out tonight."

"You're not staying?" Caitlin asked.

"Nope. I told Michael I'd get you set up and any information I could but I'm moving through on the way to my own problems I have to take care of. I may be needing a little assistance myself from our favorite spy and my helping you out means now he owes me a favor," Ed said with a smile.

"Thanks," Hawke said as he shook Hargrave's hand. "We appreciate your help."

"No problem. Just watch your backs, this guy's a nasty one. I hope it all works out for you," Hargraves said and then turned and left the cabin.

For a few minutes after Hargraves left, there was silence among the three left in the cabin as they all looked at the photos spread out on the table.

"Caitlin?" Hawke finally asked as he watched her pick up the photo of Simmons gtting off the chopper and study it closely. "Caitlin, it's going to be okay, I promise."

Slowly shaking her head, Caitiln looked up at Hawke. "No, it's not that, Hawke. Here, look at this," she said as she handed the photo over to him. "See the guy directly behind Carl?"

Dom came over and looked at the photo over Hawke's shoulder. "The one wearing the glasses?" he asked.

"Yeah. If I'm not mistaken that's a man by the name of Scott Jenkins."

"So?" Hawke asked.

"Jenkins has been with Carl since I knew him in college. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense that he's with Carl for this."

"Why not, honey?" Dom asked

"Scott was different. Even after Carl's arrest, he was the one who seemed somewhat sympathetic towards me. From what I observed after everything blew up, he seemed like a reluctant participant in his testimony for the defense and anything that had to do with Carl's criminal activities. As I was leaving the courthouse after my own last testimony, he caught my eye and mouthed "I'm sorry" to me as I left."

"That was a long time ago, Cait. People change," Hawke said simply.

"Or..maybe he's trying to make up for things that happened eight years ago. Maybe if I can get to him, he'll help us out," she said hopefully.

"I don't know, Cait...that's a huge risk. If you're mistaken and we make contact, things could go wrong really fast," Hawke said.

"I'm willing to take it," she said. "Anyways, what else do we have, right now?"

Hawke stared at her, his steel blue eyes flashing, but when she met his gaze with her own determined look, he knew she wasn't going to back down from this easily.

"Okay, maybe," he reluctantly agreed. "Let's make an early morning surveillance run in Airwolf first thing tomorrow and then we'll see what we've got from there. For now, I think we all better get some rest, we've got a long couple of days ahead of us."

Nodding her head in agreement, Caitlin backed off her stare. She knew Hawke was having a hard time with all of this and was fighting his naturally protective nature every step of the way. For now, a compromise was good enough.

_TBC_


	10. Chapter 10

**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

**Chapter 9**

A couple of hours later, after discussing strategy and plans for the next day, Hawke, Dom and Caitlin decided it was time to get some sleep. The small hunting cabin that the Airwolf team had been brought to by Ed Hargraves was really nothing more than a shack that offered minimal protection from the elements of the night. The whole building consisted of one room with a rickety stove and small sink along one wall for a kitchen, a card table and 4 rusty chairs for eating, a fire place on another wall and one cot near the fireplace. It was obvious by the thick coating of grime and dust on everything that the place had stood empty for some time. Therefore, Dom had volunteered to head back to Airwolf to pick up a couple of sleeping bags and a few more supplies he figured they may need for the night, leaving Caitlin and Hawke alone at the cabin.

Cait crossed her arms and shivered as she looked around the dilapidated shack. Coming up behind her, Hawke slid his arms around her waist. "Cold?" he asked.

"Yeah, a little, I guess," she answered as she leaned back against Hawke. "I wish we could start a fire."

"I know, me too," Hawke said as he pulled her in a little closer. "But I'm afraid if someone sees the smoke they'll come around to see what's going on. We've got to keep a low profile."

"I know." Cait agreed as she turned in Hawke's arms so that she was facing him. "I guess we'll just have to make our own warmth, huh?"

"Hmmm, now that sounds like a pretty good solution," Hawke said with a grin as he leaned in to kiss her.

Just as their lips were about to touch, Hawke heard what he figured was Dom at the door. "Perfect timing, as usual," he sighed as he placed his forehead against Cait's.

"C'mon, we better help him. Knowing Dom he brought back everything we brought with us and then some!" Caitlin agreed with a grin as she broke away and headed towards the door. Just as she reached out to open it, however, she was thrown back as the door flew open knocking her off her feet. Before either Hawke or Caitlin could react, two large men came barreling through the doorway, guns drawn. Hawke tried to reach for his own gun but was grabbed by one of the men before he could get to it. He watched in horror as the other man, went for Caitlin. Within seconds, it was over. Both Hawke and Caitlin had been restrained and disarmed by the intruders.

"Who the hell are you?" Hawke demanded to know as he struggled against his captor.

"Let's just say we were sent by an old friend of the lady's over there," the one who held Hawke answered. "Someone who wants to see her again, real bad."

As Caitlin struggled to free herself from her own captor, she cried out as he tightened his already vise-like grip on her arm.

"Stop hurting her!" Hawke instinctively yelled.

"Trust me, this lady don't know from hurt, not yet," the man snarled back at the pilot. "Believe me, by the time the boss man gets through with her, she'll beg to have my gentle touch back. Now, move it!," he ordered as he shoved Caitlin in front of him towards the open door with Hawke's captor doing the same to him.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Dom was just getting ready to head back to the cabin with the supplies when the communications beacon in Airwolf sounded. Rolling his eyes, he sighed as he climbed back into the cockpit and turned on the monitor. "What is it, Michael? It's cold out here and I need to get back to the cabin with these supplies."

"Are Hawke and Caitlin with you?" the spy asked.

"No, Michael. That's why I need to get back to the cabin. Mamma Mia!" Dom exclaimed in exasperation. Deep down he really liked the spy but he could be very frustrating at times.

"Dominic, listen to me," Michael said very sternly. "We've got a problem. Ed Hargraves' body just turned up just outside of Willow Springs. He was tortured by the look of it."

"What?" Dom yelled as the implications began to sink in. "You think it was Simmons?"

"No doubt. They left a very clear message with the body...a white lily."

"Dammit to hell!" Dom cried. "I've gotta get back to those kids."

"Dominic, I trusted Ed but there's only so much a man can take. From reports I'm receiving, whoever killed him did a very thorough job in their interrogation. My guess is that they got him to give up something. Chances are, Simmons' men are already on the way or have already made it to that cabin. Now how much they know about how many of you there were or about Airwolf is anyone's guess. You take every precaution. Whatever you find, I'll expect a report back in one hour. Any more than that and I'm sending out everyone I've got. You understand?"

"I understand, Michael." Dom confirmed quietly. "One hour."

"Good luck, Dominic," the spy said as he switched off the call.

Loading everything back into Airwolf, Dom suited back up in his flight gear and prepared to take off towards the cabin. If Cait and Hawke had been taken, he'd need the fire power of the aircraft. If not, he didn't want to waste time heading back to the aircraft on foot to get out of there.

_"God in Heaven," Dom thought to himself as he powered up the rotors, "Please let those kids be alright."_

_TBC..._


	11. Chapter 11

_**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**_

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

**Chapter 10**

After being thrown into the back of a car, Hawke and Caitlin were driven to what they now knew was the Ferguson Estate in Pope County. Both had been bound with their hands behind their back, as well as gagged, so there was no fighting their gun-wielding captors or even an opportunity for communication between them on the ride.

Hawke could tell by the look in Caitlin's eyes that she was frightened. What he didn't know is that she was more scared for Hawke than herself. Whatever happened to her, Caitlin figured she could handle it. After all, she had been dealing with this for over eight years and at this point, any type of closure would come as a relief. She was tired of running and lying and hiding. But if something were to happen to Hawke because of her, that was what she couldn't bear the thought of.

Looking over at Caitlin, Hawke's heart clenched as he saw a tear run down her cheek. Wishing he could hold her or at least say something to comfort her, he felt at a loss. Hawke was a man of action, being unable to do anything was more frustrating for him than almost anything else. He'd rather fight and lose than do nothing. But for the time being, he had no choice...at least he and Caitlin were still together, just having her there gave him strength. Trying to convey some sense of security he winked at her to try and show her that everything would be alright. In return, she gave him a small nod showing she had understood his message.

Forty five minutes after they left the cabin, the car turned into a long and winding driveway, stopping at a large iron gate that blocked the way. The driver spoke quietly into a speaker and soon the gates were sliding back to allow them access. Hawke did all he could to survey his surroundings, trying to gather some information he could use to help them escape when and if they ever got the chance, but from his seat in the back of the car he was unable to see very much other than a line of trees that ran the length of the driveway on each side.

Finally coming to a stop at the end of a circular drive that led up to the large house, the back door of the car opened and Caitlin was pulled out of the back seat. Hawke started after her but was immediately pulled back by the man who had originally overpowered him at the hunting cabin.

"Sit down!" the goon yelled as he pulled Hawke down. "You're not going anywhere. This one's a private meeting for the girl."

Hawke continued to struggle as he watched Caitlin being dragged up the steps and into the house. Tired of fighting his prisoner, Hawke's captor finally hit the pilot over the head with the butt of his gun, knocking him out.

"C'mon, Larry, let's get this one into the basement where we can show him who he's dealing with then the boss can have what's left of him later," the man said to the driver as the car began to head around to the back of the house.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Dom sighed as he scanned the cabin below. It was evident that no one was there and it looked as if Caitlin and Hawke had been forcefully removed as the front door was wide open and he could see chairs knocked over inside. "Damn!" Dominic swore under his breath.

Immediately setting a course for the Ferguson Estate, Dominic turned Airwolf around. "C'mon Baby, we've got to go find those two and get them back before it's too late."

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Caitlin's wrist restraints and gag were roughly removed as she was ushered through the house. Stopping before a large set of open double doors, Caitlin tripped and fell to her knees as she was forcefully pushed into the room and the doors were slammed shut behind her. Catching her breath, Caitlin looked around trying to get her bearings as she stood. The room appeared to be a large, wood panel-adorned study with a wall full of floor-to-ceiling windows to her right, all covered with heavy, dark draperies. To her left was a full wall of built in book shelves while directly ahead of her was a large mahogany desk with two green leather chairs placed across from it and a large leather desk chair turned with it's back facing her behind it.

"So, Katherine, how nice of you to agree to come and see me. It's been a long time," she heard a voice speak from the desk chair.

"Carl?" Caitlin asked as she strained to see around the side of the chair. "I wouldn't exactly say I had much choice, now did I?"

"Why, Kat, you don't sound happy to see me." the voice said mockingly as the man in the desk chair turned to face her.

"Don't call me that!" Caitlin spat out.

"Oh that's right, it's Caitlin O'Shannessy now, isn't it? Very quaint." Carl said as he studied the woman in front of him. "And my, my...the red hair. You know I always preferred you as a blonde myself but I guess it matches your new identity."

"How did you find me?" Caitlin demanded to know.

"Now, Kat...oh I'm sorry, _Caitlin_...you know I've always had a way with people. They just seem to want to open up to me and tell me things."

"Yeah, that happens when you threaten to kill them and have a gun to their heads!" Caitlin snarled back.

"Actually, I don't make threats. I always follow through on my promises. You, of all people, should know that about me," Carl said as he stood and came around the front of the desk. "And I believe I made a promise to you about eight years ago."

Caitlin shuddered as she remembered Carl's threats to her as he left the courtroom. He swore that he'd kill her if it was the last thing he ever did.

"You still haven't answered my question," Caitlin asked as she defiantly crossed her arms and stared her biggest regret in the face.

"Still as stubborn and feisty as ever, I see, my dear Kat," Carl said as he held up his hands before Cait could protest. "You might as well get used to it, you'll always be _my _Kat," he said. "For however much longer you have. You were born Katherine, I would think you would want to die that way as well," he said ominously as Cait struggled to keep herself out of panic mode.

"But if you must know, the "Family" has had a mole in the Witness Protection Program for years. It took a while but they were finally able to find out who your agent was and then once I was able to speak to Marshal Hamilton face-to-face, well let's just say it didn't take long for him to see things my way and offer me some more specifics. As for your little hide out here in Willow Springs, well it seems that one of my associates recognized Mr. Hargraves from earlier dealings and wondered what interest he would have here in Pope County, Texas. Imagine my surprise when after a little 'convincing' Mr. Hargraves told me about you and your friend out there at the cabin. So nice of him to help us out like that. It's just a shame he won't be around to say his last goodbyes to you."

"You killed him?" Caitlin asked as she realized what had probably happened and she felt her knees going weak.

"I'm afraid he wasn't of any more use to me, Kat," Carl replied with an evil glint in his eye. "Once he told me about you and your boyfriend's cozy little hideaway...we'll I had what I needed."

As Caitlin listened to Carl speak, something began to nag at the back of her mind. Suddenly she realized that while Carl had mentioned Hawke twice, he never mentioned Dom or Airwolf. Maybe, just maybe, she had gotten lucky and Ed hadn't given up all of the information he had.

"Where is Hawke? I want to see him!" Caitlin demanded.

"You seem worried, Kat. Perhaps he's more than just a 'friend?' You know, technically you're probably still engaged to me. I don't ever remember us officially breaking it off and I know I never got that ring back. I paid a lot of money for that rock, you know."

"I threw that gaudy thing into the Hudson River and you and I are NOT engaged. I hate you, Carl! You lied to me and you used me! I'll admit, I was young and naive but you took advantage of that. I just thank God every day that I found out what you really were before we were married!" Cait yelled as she clenched her fists. As hard as she tried she couldn't hold back her rage any longer. After eight years it felt good to get some of it out.

While Caitlin's tirade had felt good when she said it she immediately realized that it had been a mistake when she saw Carl closing in on her. Tears sprang to her eyes as she felt the sharp sting of pain across her cheek where Carl slapped her.

"I always told you that mouth of yours would get you into trouble, Kat," Carl said as he grabbed her by the shoulders. "I think I've had enough of you for now. You need a little time to calm down and think about what you want to say to me from here on out. So, if you want to see Hawke so badly, fine, you can see him..or whatever the boys left of him...and maybe that will bring you back to your senses. I've waited eight years to see you again, a few more hours won't matter. I'll send for you again later tonight and I expect once you've seen what I'm really capable of, you'll be a little more compliant." As he finished his speech, Carl led Caitlin back towards the double doors where he knocked once. Immediately the doors opened and the two men that had removed Caitlin and Hawke from the hunting cabin were waiting.

"Take her to see the man you brought with her. Give her 15 minutes then take her to her room and lock her in. Keep a watch on her until I call for her later...Understood?"

"Yes, sir," both men answered simultaneously as they led Caitlin away.

_TBC..._


	12. Chapter 12

_**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**_

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

**Chapter 11**

Within minutes of leaving the cabin, Dom had Airwolf in the vicinity of the Ferguson Estate. Flying over he stayed high enough to stay out of sight but close enough to run a full range of sensors and scans. It didn't take long for him to figure out that Ed Hargraves had been correct in the fact that the place was guarded like Ft. Knox. There were armed guards and cameras everywhere. If String and Cait were being held here, it wouldn't be an easy extraction. Figuring he'd better let Michael know what was going on, he clicked on the audio/visual link to the spy's office.

"Okay, Dominic, tell me what you have," Michael said in way of a greeting.

"It's not good, Michael. String and Cait are gone...taken from the cabin. I have to believe they are being held at the location that Hargraves told us about. I'm there now and his intelligence was correct, this place is locked down tighter than a tic."

"What do you need, Dom? I can send a full team to assist you infiltrate the compound if you need it," the spy offered helpfully.

"No, not yet," Dom answered. "If we just go barreling into this place, chances are there's going to be a lot of gunfire and we're going to lose both Cait and String. I'm not ready to take that chance yet."

"So what do you propose?" Archangel asked as he reached up and adjusted his glasses in nervous habit.

"Time, Michael. Just give me some time. If I know those two, they'll be trying to find some way to get a message to me. I'm going to keep monitoring for as long as I can. As soon as I get something, I'll let you know."

"Okay, Dominic...I'll give you what I can but I'm not sure how long I can keep the Feds back. They're wanting Simmons pretty bad and they're willing to sacrifice whatever or whoever they have to to get to him. I can probably guarantee you a couple of hours. After that...well, I'll see what I can do."

"Do what you have to do, Archangel. This is Cait and String we're talking about. I'll be damned if I let them get shot up because some Fed got impatient."

"Dom..."

"No, Michael, I've said what I've got to say. I need to get back to my scans. I'll let you know if I find anything," Dom said as he clicked off the connection.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Cait was led down a set of stairs into the dark and dank basement of the large house. "You've got 15 minutes, not a second more. You try anything funny and your friend is dead...got it?" the larger of her two guards instructed as they came to a door that the other guard stepped forward and unlocked.

"Yeah, I got it, " Caitlin said as she pulled her arm away from the man. As the door was opened Caitlin looked inside to what appeared to be an old storage room with nothing but a single, bare lightbulb hanging from the center and no windows. As soon as she crossed the threshold of the room the door was closed behind her with a slam causing her to jump.

"Hawke?" she asked as her eyes adjusted to the dim and shadowy light of the room.

A barely audible moan came from far corner of the room to her left. Following the sound, Caitlin walked in that direction until she almost tripped over the lump on the floor that she soon realized was Hawke.

"Hawke!" she exclaimed as she bent down beside the pilot that was laying in a ball at her feet. "My God, what did they do to you?" she asked as she gently turned him over. Caitlin gasped as she saw the extensive bruising and swelling that covered his face, not to mention the drying blood along his temple.

"Cait?" he whispered as he struggled to open his swolen eyes.

"Yea, it's me String. I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" She cried as she sat beside him on the floor and lifted his head and shoulders into her lap as she gently wiped at his face trying to clean off some of the blood and grime.

"I'll be okay," Hawke tried to comfort her, though somewhat unsuccessfully, as he reached up and grabbed her arm to get her attention. "Cait, what about Dom?"

"I dont' know, Hawke," Caitlin answered as she took his hand in hers. "I don't think they know about him or Airwolf. They killed Hargraves and made them give up our location but I don't think he told them about Dom."

Hawke breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Cait, you have to find a way to signal him. I know he'll be monitoring the Estate. You've got to find a way to let him know we're alive. You're going to have to do it, Cait. I'm in no shape to try and get out of here right now."

Nodding her head in agreement, Caitlin knew that Hawke was right. Even if he had the chance, physically he wouldn't have the strength to free himself and get help for either of them. It was going to be up to her this time. _"I got us all into this horrible mess, I'll get us out!" _she thought to herself.

"Baby, listen to me," Hawke continued as he looked her squarely in the eyes. "No matter what happens, get yourself out, you understand me? Dom will get me if there's anyway possible but I need to know that you're safe."

"I won't leave you, String!" Caitlin said, her tears flowing as she realized the implication of his statement.

"You will if you have to, Caitlin," he said somewhat sternly. "If it comes down to it...you are to save yourself. Don't you dare sacrifice yourself for me. You have to promise me that, Cait."

"No, String, I'll promise no such thing. You and me, we're going to get out of here together and we're going to get Carl and make him pay for the hell he's put us through. No matter what it takes...that's the only promise I'll make to you!" Caitlin's resolve had been set and she knew now that the only thing that mattered was getting that message to Dom.

Hawke started to protest but saw the flash of determination in Caitlin's eyes. He knew there would be no arguing with her. "Just be careful then, baby. I couldn't stand it if I lost you...I love you too much. You know that, right?"

"I know, String." she said as she leaned down and kissed him gently. "I love you, too."

Cait turned as the door to the room abruptly opened. "Time's up!" one of the goons announced as he stood in the doorway.

"You said 15 minutes!" Caitlin insisted as she held her spot with Hawke.

"Yeah? Well we changed our minds. You and loverboy there have had enough time. We're tired of waiting."

"It's okay, Cait," Hawke encouraged softly, trying to keep his voice from carrying over to the guards. "Just remember The Lady, okay?"

"Yeah, I got it," she said as she leaned down and gently leaned him up against the wall as comfortably as she could after giving him one more quick kiss. "And you remember my promise, just hang on and I'll be back."

"Quit your mumbling and let's go!" the guard yelled from the doorway. Caitlin reluctantly got up, turning to give Hawke one last smile as she did so. In return he gave her a thumbs up.

_"I don't care what it takes, I'll get us BOTH out of here," _she vowed to herself as she was pulled out of the room.

_TBC..._


	13. Chapter 13

_**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**_

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only. _

**Chapter 12**

After seeing Hawke, Caitlin was taken to a bedroom on the second floor where she was promptly locked inside and two new, but equally as ominous as the previous two, guards were placed outside her door. Looking around, it didn't take long for her to realize escape would be near impossible. There were bars over the windows and everything that could possibly be used as a weapon had been removed. Practically the only things remaining in the room were a bed and some clean clothes that had been laid at the foot of it. Well that, and a plastic vase of freshly cut white lilies that stood on a cheap little bedside table. Looking at them made her shiver.

Walking over to the bed, Caitlin ran her fingers over the clothes that had been laid out for her, a dress made of a filmy baby blue fabric and nude pumps. Carl had always liked her in that blue. Picking up the dress she balled it up in her hand and threw it at the wall behind her. There was no way in hell she was going to dress for that bastard.

After several minutes of frantically searching for something that could help her out, Cait finally gave up and sat on the bed. Putting her head in her hands she cried as she thought of Hawke and all that had happened since she decided not to go back into Witness Protection. Not only was the man that she loved beaten to within an inch of his life but a United States Marshal and Ed Hargraves, a man she barely even knew, had been tortured and killed because of her.

Caitlin was beginning to feel she had made a selfish decision and a really big mistake by choosing to stand up to Carl Simmons. If it had just been her own life at stake, that was one thing but now other innocent people had been hurt and killed all because of what she wanted for herself. It was then and there that Caitlin realized what she must do….give herself up to Carl. It was the only way, she couldn't stand the thought of anyone else's blood on her hands. In time, Hawke would come to understand and maybe even forgive her.

Having made her decision, Caitlin sat up and dried her tears. Getting up from the bed she headed over to where the crumpled dress lay on the floor, picked it up and laid it gently back on the bed. Just as she started to unbutton her blouse to change, she heard a knock at the door.

"Ms. Sullivan? I have your dinner. Please step back from the door so that I can bring it in. If you try anything, the guards here have orders to shoot. Do you understand?"

Caitlin was surprised to hear the familiar voice coming through the door. She had all but forgotten about Scott Jenkins in all that had happened over the last couple of hours.

"I understand," she called back as she watched the familiar face of her old friend coming through the door carrying a covered tray.

As he entered, Scott made her a face that immediately let her know that she should do nothing to let the others outside know that she recognized him. Once he was all the way inside of the room, he turned back to one of the guards on the door, "Please close the door behind me. Mr. Simmons has asked me to stay with his guest while she eats." Nodding their heads the guards complied.

When he heard the door latch, Scott turned back towards Caitlin and gave her a wink as he held his finger to his lips. "We have to be quiet. If we talk too loudly, they'll be able to hear us."

Nodding her head to show she understood, Caitlin smiled back and waited for him to place the tray on the bed. Once his hands were free, Scott came over and held open his arms gesturing for a hug. Caitlin somehow sensed she could trust him and went immediately into his arms. He wasn't Hawke but it sure did feel good to have someone on her side again.

Stepping back from the hug, Scott sat on the bed and motioned for Cait to sit beside him. "It's good to see you, Kat."

"I know, Scott…and it's Caitlin, now," she said with a smile.

"I'd heard that," he said as he studied her face. "It suits you. And I see you've gone back to your natural red hair. I never did like that blonde color that Carl always made you wear. It just wasn't you."

"Scott, I know we don't have much time, but I've got to know. What are you doing here? I have to wonder if I can really trust you," Caitlin asked hoping that her instincts about Scott were right.

"Look, Cait, I can understand your fears and you have to believe me, I wanted no part of this when I heard what Carl was planning. But you know what it's like once you're inside "the Family". I was young and stupid when I joined forces with Carl and his father and by the time I realized what I had gotten myself into it was too late to get out. They don't let you just leave, you know," Carl explained.

"Yeah, I know, Scott," Caitlin said. Perhaps better than most, she understood exactly where he was coming from.

"Anyways," Scott continued, "I always felt bad for what happened to you…you didn't deserve any of this. So, I've spent most o f the last eight years laying pretty low within the Mangini organization, keeping out of the big stuff and trying to do as least harm as I could. It wasn't too hard to do with Carl in prison but when I heard he had escaped and was coming after you I contacted him and told him I wanted my revenge too. The way he saw it, I had been kept low-level in the organization without him around and I blamed that on you. He figures I have reason to hate you as much as he does. Of course it's not true, Caitlin. While I never wanted any of this to happen at all, I was hoping I'd get the opportunity to help you out if the time came." Looking around the room and back to Caitlin, Scott reached out and brushed her cheek with his hand. "Unfortunately, I think the time has come."

Leaning over, Scott slid the dinner tray over so that it was situated between the two of them on the bed. Pulling the cover off the tray, Caitlin was surprised to see not only a plate of food but a loaded derringer pistol along with some extra ammo sitting on the tray.

"Take them, Cait," Scott instructed. "They're not much but it's the best I could do for now."

"Oh, Scott…thank you!" Caitlin said as she greedily grabbed for the weapon.

"It may not be enough, Caitlin. You know that?"

"It's better than nothing," Caitlin concluded. "Scott, I know I have no right to ask you for anything else but there is something else I need you to do."

"I'll do what I can, Cait," Scott agreed.

"Okay then, it's actually two things. One, the man they brought in with me. Can you get him a weapon as well?"

"I think so, Caitiln. I'll definitely try although I'm not sure how much good it will do. They're not going to be letting him out of that basement anytime soon, if at all," Scott noticed Caitlin cringe with his last statement. " But you said two things, what else?"

"We actually came in with a third man and a pretty special piece of equipment that might help even out the odds and give us a chance to get out of here. I need you to get a signal to him. Let him know that Hawke and I are alive."

Scott shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck as he considered Caitlin's request. "You're asking for more than I may be able to give, Caitlin. I'm risking everything with the guns. I'm not even sure how I could get a signal to this co-hort of yours."

"I've got an idea about that, Scott,"

Scott chuckled as he looked at his old friend. "Why doesn't that surprise me? So tell me your idea."

Caitlin quickly told Scott her plan to get in touch with Dominic. Scott thought it over and agreed to give it a try. The two spent the next several minutes working out the details about what information Dom would need.

"Scott, when we get out of here, I want you to come with us," Caitlin added when she was finished.

"No, Cait. I can't do that, you know that. I'm too entrenched in all of this. If I leave, they'll never stop looking for me. You have a chance. Get rid of Carl and you're no longer a threat to any of them. But me, I know too much on too many people. My only chance is to stay and lie in the bed I've made for myself. "

Caitlin looked with compassion into Scott's eyes. She knew he was right. "No matter what happens, Scott, I'll always be thankful to you," she said as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Scott smiled as he stood up to leave. Picking up the tray he turned back to Cait. "The man that they brought with you, the one in the basement…he's special to you, isn't he?"

"Hawke? Yeah, you could say that," Caitlin said.

"Is he good to you?"

"Yes."

"And he loves you? I mean really loves you?"

"Yes."

Scott nodded as he read the truthfulness of her answers in her eyes. "Good, you deserve that. You always did. You were always too good for Carl and he never treated you the way you deserved. Caitlin, I promise to do everything I can to get you both out of here so that you can have the love you should have together. Maybe if that happens, then whatever God there may be will forgive me the rest of this mess I've made of my life."

With a tear in her eye, Caitlin reached up and rubbed Scott's arm. "I know he will, Scott. You're a good person."

Without another word, Scott turned and headed to the door. Caitlin smiled to herself as she watched him go. There were no guarantees but she knew that if Hawke could hang on just a little longer, then maybe they could all get out of this thing yet….

_TBC..._


	14. Chapter 14

_**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**_

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only. _

**Chapter 13**

Dom had spent the last two hours monitoring the Estate from Airwolf with no luck. He was starting to worry that that could mean only one of two things; either Cait and Hawke weren't there or they were and they were in no shape to get any kind of signal to him. Neither option set well with the pilot.

As much as he wanted to just storm the place with all of Airwolf's firepower, Dom knew that if he did that without knowing where Cait and String were in the compound he could very well take them down with everyone else. At this point, it wasn't a chance he was willing to take. At the same time, he knew that time was running out. Michael would only be able to hold off the Feds for so long.

"_Dammit, kids, you gotta give me something!" _Dom thought to himself as he made yet another check of Airwolf's monitoring systems. Seeing nothing unusual on the cameras, he turned up the audio signal. At first everything seemed the same as before but just before he reached to turn the volume back down, something seemed to catch his attention.

Listening closer, Dom almost convinced himself that he had been hearing things when all of a sudden, there it was again. A pattern was coming across the audio…repeating itself over and over again. What Dom had at first thought was nothing more than the sound of static coming from interference of walkie talkie and radio frequencies being used by the guards on the estate now had a definite pattern to it. He started working the controls and buttons to track down the frequency that the static was occurring on until he had it isolated. "Morse Code!" Dom exclaimed out loud as he reached for a pen and piece of paper. Remembering the incident on the Queen Mary when Caitlin had used code to signal Hawke through the door, Dom immediately knew this had to be a message from Caitlin.

"_I always said that girl was one smart cookie," _Dom thought as he started jotting down the words that were coming across the feed. As the pattern finished and started the loop over again, Dom set down his pen and read what he had just transcribed. As soon as he was done he dialed up Archangel on the communications screen.

"It's about time I heard from you, Dominic," the irritated spy answered. "The Feds are breathing down my neck and I don't think I can hold them off any longer. I hope you have something."

"Oh I got something alright," Dom said with one of his gap-toothed grins. "I just got a coded message from Caitlin. I'm telling you Archangel, that girl could give you and your little spy outfit a run for their money!"

"Yes, I'm sure she could, Dominic. Now what did the message say?"

"Oh, yeah," Dominic said as he picked up the piece of paper and started to read from it: "Cait – ok. Hawke –injured – basement, west wing. Both armed, small guns. Air approach, south. Attack, midnight. "

"That's it?" Michael asked as he leaned forward and brushed his mustache. "It's not much to go on, Dominic."

"Well I'm sorry she didn't have time to compose a nice essay for your, Michael!" Dom answered with a hmmmph. "Anyways, it's enough for me. " Looking at his watch Dom saw that it was 10:45 pm. "In one hour and fifteen minutes, I'm hitting that estate with everything I've got from a southern approach. Evidently Cait's been able to get weapons of some sort for her and Hawke. I have to believe she'll be doing everything she can to get them out as I cause a little ruckus from above. If String's too injured to get himself out, then I'll go in after him if I have to. I just need you to tell the Feds to cool their heels. I don't want them barging in early and getting Cait and String killed before she's had a chance to get everything set on the inside."

"Alright, Dominic, I'll stall them but you get one shot at this. If it doesn't work, the Feds won't give you another chance. You got it?"

"I got it. Thanks, Michael." Dom said as switched off the screen. 'C'mon, Baby, " he said to the chopper as he turned her around and headed towards a clearing about 5 miles out he had spotted earlier. "We've got some preparations to do make sure you're at your best for this one."

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Hawke struggled to keep the room from spinning too much as he attempted to stand. The fact that his head was pounding and that he probably had at least two or three broken ribs wasn't helping matters much. Finally after a third attempt, he was able to stand somewhat steadily on his feet. Looking at his watch he saw that it read 11:20…he had 40 minutes to try and gain back some muscle movement and clear his head so he could prepare for what well may be the fight of his life.

An hour earlier, Hawke had been surprised when a man had entered his room carrying a food tray. He was even more surprised when the man had uncovered the tray only to reveal a small handgun and some extra ammunition. Once the man had shown him the gun he leaned over and whispered a quick explanation: "There's not much time, Mister Hawke. Caitlin sent me. She's fine and she's come up with a way to signal your friend. If it works, he's going to hit the estate at midnight. She wants you to be as ready as you can. I'll try to come back for you but I can't make that guarantee. If I'm not here, you need to get to the south side or back of the house, that's where you're friend will be waiting to pick you up."

"You're Scott Jenkins?" Hawke had asked the man, recognizing him from the photo Caitlin had shown him earlier.

"Yes."

"And Caitlin?"

"She's fine for now. But this is the only chance we've got to get her and you out. If we miss this opportunity, we won't have another. Carl won't be surprised twice. You think you can handle this?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me, just make sure Caitlin gets out," Hawke directed.

The man chuckled as he looked into Hawke's gaze. "You know, that's exactly the orders she gave me about you…'make sure Hawke gets out,". Hawke just nodded back and smiled, that sounded just like the Caitlin he knew and loved.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Caitlin paced the room she had now been locked in for several hours. She could only pray that Scott was able to get the weapon to Hawke and that Dom would catch the code. There were so many variables to her plan and if any one of them was discovered or didn't go right the whole escape attempt would be thwarted and she didn't even want to think of what would happen to Hawke and herself.

Checking the clock on the wall, Caitlin realized it was time to put the last piece of her plan into place. Quickly she changed into the dress that Carl had left for her, finishing her outfit by strapping on the thigh holster for the derringer that Scott had given her. When she was convinced that the weapon was completely concealed, she went to the door and called out to the guards. After they acknowledged her call she told them to tell Carl she was ready to talk to him. She had a deal she wanted to discuss.

Within 10 minutes, Caitlin was being escorted back to the study where she had first met with her tormentor.

"Why, Kat, you look absolutely stunning. Of course, I miss your long blonde hair but that can easily be changed in time," Carl said as she stood across from his desk.

"Can we walk outside, Carl? You've had me stuffed up in that room and a little fresh air might make this easier for me. You know there's a full moon and from my window I could see the gazebo out back," Caitlin suggested hoping the reference to how they first met would persuade Carl.

"Ah, now that brings back some memories doesn't it, Kat? Sure, why not? After all that time in a cell, I prefer the outdoors anyways, " Carl said as came around the desk and took her by the arm, escorting her from the room. As they started down the hallway, the two guards that seemed to be assigned to Cait began to follow.

"Do they have to come with us? Do you really think I'm in any position to go anywhere or try anything?" Cait asked.

Eyeing her suspiciously for a moment, Carl finally acquiesced. "Boys, stay here. I think I can handle her on my own," he said as he led her towards the doors that led to the back porch and out into the yard.

Caitlin quickly took a quick survey of the night sky as they headed outside. _"C'mon, Dom. "_

As they entered the gazebo and took a seat, he spoke. "Now I understand that you have a proposal for me. Although I must say, I find it amusing that you even think you're in a position to make a deal with me but for my own curiosity, why don't you tell me what it is?"

"I want you to let Hawke go."

"Well of course you do. And just what do I get in exchange?"

"Me." Caitlin said as she looked him straight in the eye.

"Well it seems to me, I already have you, Kat. Why would I make a deal for something I already have?"

"You only have me because you've kidnapped me and forced me to be here, Carl. If you let Hawke go, I'll stay willingly. You said yourself we never broke off the engagement. I'll stay and we can go back to how things were eight years ago."

"Interesting. And what makes you think that's what I want from you? I've spent a lot of time in prison thinking about watching you die, Kat. "

"Because killing me is no fun for you Carl. If I stay then you get to own and control me, just the way you like things."

"You always did know me best," Carl acknowledged. Seeming to think about her offer, Carl stood and leaned against the railing of the gazebo. He was about to speak when a strange screaming noise came out of the sky. Cait smiled as she recognized Airwolf's primal howl and quickly drew her weapon pointing it at Carl.

Ten seconds later, all hell broke loose around them….

_TBC…_


	15. Chapter 15

_**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**_

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only. _

**Chapter 14**

At exactly midnight, Dom flew in from the south, all armaments at the ready, coming in directly behind the large house and over the gazebo in the back. He knew that the lights shining down from Airwolf would make it hard for anybody to see exactly what was approaching while giving him perfect vision of what lay below. He immediately spotted Caitlin and Simmons in the gazebo and had to smile as he saw her with a gun trained squarely at the mobster's head. "Thatta girl."

Caitlin also had to smile as she saw the confusion and even frightened look that crossed Carl's face as he shielded his eyes from the bright lights and tried to look beyond them to see what the hell was going on. Caitlin had seen the same look two years before on the cowboys that had tried to molest her before Hawke and Dom had come along and rescued her. She had to admit, between Airwolf's screeching wail, the wind currents she created with her powerful rotors and her massive black frame that just seemed to become one with the night sky, The Lady could be an ominous sight.

"Caitlin, you okay down there?" Dom called down through the intercom system.

"Yeah, Dom. I'll take care of this," she answered back never taking her eyes off Simmons and knowing that Dom could hear her. "I need you to get rid of some of the hired help, though. Hit the East side of the house first…Hawke's in the basement on the other end…he'll need a chance to get out. "

"I'm on it, Red," Dom answered as he swung Airwolf around to the right, immediately laying down a row of chain gun fire sending the men who were racing around the house back into the shadows and running to get away. Dom then turned his attention to laying down a wall of gunfire between the house and Caitlin…keeping anyone from getting to her.

Finally seeming to regain some of his composure, Carl took a step towards Caitlin.

"One more and I'll blow your head off, Carl," Caitlin warned.

Carl looked in her eyes and realized she was probably telling the truth. "Well you are full of surprises, aren't you Kat?" he said as he stopped his advance.

"More than you know, Carl. And for the last time, it's Caitlin," she said with conviction.

Looking at the chaos ensuing around him, Carl realized that no matter what happened here, he was not going to come out on the winning end of things. For him, going back to prison was not an option and if by chance he did manage to escape, the Mangini Family would not be happy with the mess he'd left behind, leaving him at the mercy of whatever they decided to do to him. It didn't take him long to make his decision.

"Lay white lilies at my grave, will you, Kat?" he said cryptically as he once again started his advance on Caitlin.

Without even thinking, Caitlin pulled the trigger…

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Hawke waited by the door until he heard the wail of Airwolf's engines cutting through the night. Listening for the confusion that he knew would soon follow, Hawke trained his gun on the door to his basement cell. As soon as he heard his guards running to help the others outside he shot out the lock and pushed through the doorway. Seeing a set of steps to his right, he raced towards them trying to find his way out and to Caitlin.

Just as Hawke reached the top of the steps, Scott Jenkins appeared, passing by him back down into the basement. "Follow me," he instructed the pilot. "You'll never make it through the main house, there's too many men. I can get you out through another exit in the basement that should be clear."

Heading back down the steps, Hawke followed Jenkins as he led the pilot through a series of dark hallways that eventually led to what appeared to be an old coal room with a trap door set into the top of the wall. 100 years ago when the house was first built, it would have been the means by which coal was shoveled into the basement which would be used to fuel the furnace.

Jenkins reached up and pulled on a chain, opening the trap door. "C'mon, there's not much time, I can hear them coming," he said as he knelt down and made a cradle out of his hands for Hawke to use as a step up. "You think you can pull yourself up and out of here?"

"Yeah," Hawke confirmed. "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll handle them. Just get to Caitlin and keep her safe. She deserves a good life," Scott said. "Now get going…once you get out, head around to the left…that should take you into the back where I last saw Caitlin and where your friend is keeping the others busy. "

"Right. And thanks," Hawke said knowing that there was really nothing more he could say that would adequately express his appreciation. Stepping into Scott's hands, Hawke reached for the edge of the door and pulled himself through, his battered ribs screaming in protest. Once he was standing on solid ground he took one last look back through the doorway and cringed as he saw Scott training his gun on the entrance back into the basement as he heard machine gun fire hitting the door. He knew Scott would end up giving his own life to save his. He would make sure that Caitlin would know the sacrifice her friend had made.

Wasting no more time he ran off in the direction Scott had told him and soon found himself heading straight towards the gazebo where he saw Caitlin with Carl. Just as he approached, he heard the shot from Caitlin's gun and watched as Carl was thrown backwards, blood spurting from the head shot and splattering back onto Caitlin, who seemed to be in a daze as she watched Carl fall to the ground.

"Dom!" Hawke yelled, knowing that the older man would be monitoring, "Quick, bring her down in the back…behind the gazebo. I'll get Cait and we'll meet you in thirty seconds!"

Dom immediately backed Airwolf off from the house and started to lower her towards the ground, all the while keeping some concentrated gun fire between himself and the house.

"Caitlin!" Hawke yelled as he approached the gazebo. "C'mon Caitlin, it's okay…we gotta get out of here," he yelled as ran up the steps and physically took her by the hand. Upon his contact, Cait seemed to snap out of the daze she was in.

"Hawke?"

"Yeah it's me, baby. It's almost over, I promise. Let's get to The Lady," he said as he had to almost forcefully pull her away from Carl's body.

Finally coming to her senses, Caitlin just nodded as she allowed Hawke to lead her out of the gazebo and back towards Airwolf. As soon as they reached the helicopter, Hawke had the door open and was shoving Caitlin inside, as he climbed in right behind her.

"You want the controls, kid?" Dom said as he started to lift Airwolf back off the ground.

"No, I don't think I could handle her right now. Just finish off this place and let's get the hell out of here," Hawke said feeling as if he might pass out from the pain of his earlier wounds that were flaring up again. Looking back, he saw that Caitlin, while physically in better shape, seemed to be going into emotional shock.

Dom, noticing that both Hawke and Caitlin probably needed some medical attention, wasted no time in sending a hellfire into the middle of the compound once they were out of range of the backwash of the explosion, effectively destroying anything or anyone left. "That should do it. I'll tell Michael to send in the Feds for cleanup," he said as he turned and headed for the nearest FIRM clinic.

_TBC…._


	16. Chapter 16

**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only._

**Chapter 15**

Two and a half hours later, Dom was still pacing the waiting room of The Firm's secret medical facility in Dallas. Per direct order of Archangel, Dom had taken String and Caitlin to the facility who had been directed to allow Airwolf to land on their roof and be kept there without any interference from FIRM personnel.

Dom was exhausted but too worried to sleep until he received word on either patient. By the time they had arrived at the clinic, String had long passed out and Caitlin had fallen into a full-blown state of shock, she hadn't spoken a word since boarding Airwolf.  
Upon arrival, String was quickly attended to by physicians and then taken away for x-rays and several tests to make sure that he wasn't bleeding internally from any wounds. Dom was pretty confident that String would be okay...it would just take time for the bumps and bruises to heal.

It was Caitlin he was more worried about. Caitlin had been silent until they separated her and Hawke. Seeing him being wheeled into another room had triggered something inside her brain and she had started crying and kept mumbling that she was sorry over and over again. Dom had tried to convince her that String was okay but it was like talking to a wall, he didn't even know if she could hear him.

But it was when the nurses started trying to clean some of the blood splatter from Carl off of her that she really seemed to lose it. Looking at her blood stained hands and then seeing the dress she wore covered with the red splotches, Caitlin begain to scream. Somehow she had convinced herself that the blood had come from Hawke and that it had actually been String that she had shot and not Carl. The wrenching sobs coming from her had practically torn Dom's heart from his chest. He'd never heard anything so mournful in his life. Finally, one of the nurses had been able to get a tranqualizing shot into Caitlin and after several minutes she too had passed out.  
Since then...Dom had just been waiting.

Hearing someone enter the waiting room, Dom turned and was surprised to see Archangel coming through the doorway. "Michael? I'm surprised to see you here!"

"Yes, well someone had to come and clean up the little mess the three of you left back in Pope County. I'll have you know I've spent the last couple of hours trying to explain what exactly happened back there to the Feds."

"And what did you tell them?" Dom asked with a hint of a smirk on his face.

"That it was a shame about the gas leak that caused the explosion in that house but that it was lucky my people were able to get out just before it happened."

"And they believed you?"

"I doubt it but it'll be the official word. They got what they wanted anyways...Simmons dead. Speaking of which, I have a few questions about Simmons' death myself..."

"Listen, Michael, I'd love to talk to you but can it wait until we hear something about Hawke and Cait?" Dominic said sidestepping the question.

"You mean, no one's given you a report yet?" the spy asked with surprise.

"No...and I'm really starting to get worried."

"Give me a minute, I'll find someone who can tell us what's going on," Michael said as picked up a phone that was sitting on a desk in the waiting room. WIthin five minutes, two doctors were walking in the room to speak with Dominic.

"Mr. Santini?" the older of the two doctors said as he held out his hand to the pilot. "I'm Dr. Ross and this," he said as he indicated the younger man beside him, "is Dr. Hansen. We're sorry to keep you waiting but we wanted to make sure we had all the test results before we told you anything. Please, take a seat," Dr. Ross said as he and Dr. Hansen pulled chairs over so they could sit across form Dominic and Archangel.

"Are they okay?" Dom asked.

Nodding his head, Dr. Hansen consulted a chart he had carried in with him. "I've been tending to Mr. Hawke. As you know, he took a pretty bad beating and he's got two cracked ribs, a pretty severe concussion and lots of cuts and bruises. However, we did some x-rays and I don't think there's any internal damage. He'll just need plenty of rest and I'd like to keep him here a couple of days to keep an eye on that concussion and make sure it doesn't develop into anything more."

"Well thank God," Dom expressed with relief. "But good luck on keeping him here, Doc. He can be a little stubborn when it comes to hospitals."

"To say the least, " Michael concurred under his breath.

"Believe me, Mr. Santini, we've already figured that out. He woke up about 30 minutes ago and he's not exactly been a very cooperative patient. But we do believe we may have a way to convince him to stay. I'll let Dr. Ross. take it from here."

"Thanks, Phil," Dr. Ross acknowledged as he took a quick look at his own chart. "As you've probably deduced by now, I've been working with Ms. O'Shannessy. I'm actually a psyhiatrist."

"A psychiatrist?" Dom asked somewhat surprised.

"Yes. Once we determined that Ms. O'Shannessy hadn't suffered any physical injury, I was called in to work on her emotional trauma. I'm not sure of everything that happened over the last forty-eight hours but from what I've been able to piece together, I'd say that the lady is suffering from PTSD or posttraumatic stress disorder. I'm more used to seeing it in war veterans and it's really a condition that we are just beginning to understand but basically in Ms. O'Shannessy's case, because of the mental trauma she has suffered, she's not focusing on reality. Her brain is trying to cope anyway it can with what's it's seen but basically a lot of the messages are getting garbled in transmission and she's unable to grasp the truth."

"Mother of God, " Dominic said. "Can you help her, Doc? Will she be okay?"

"Yes, I think so. Or rather I think Mr. Hawke can. For some reason, she thinks that she shot and killed him. She's coming out of sedation now and Mr. Hawke is going to be allowed to see her. I think if she can see for herself that he is alive and relatively well, she'll be able to bring herself back to reality. It's not to say she won't have some lasting problems going forward...nightmares, flashbacks...any number of things but it's a start."

"And that's why you think Hawke will agree to stay, I presume?" Michael asked the two doctors.

"Yes," Dr. Hansen said. "I sense there's a pretty deep connection between those two. Mr. Hawke has made it clear he won't cooperate on any of his own treatment until he gets to see her. We've decided that, while unconventional, we'll put them in a room together. I have a feeling it will do them both good on their road to healing."

"You have no idea, Doctor!" Dom said with a smile. "And when can I see them?"

"About 30 minutes, if that's okay. I want to get them situated and then we'll send someone to take you to their room," Dr. Ross informed him as they all stood.

"Thanks again, Doctors," Dom said as he shook both of their hands. "And thank you, Michael for all of your help, we couldnt' have done this without you."

"Yeah, just make sure you tell Hawke that, okay?" Michael said with a grin.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Even though the nurses and doctors had all tried to convince Caitlin that Hawke was okay, she couldn't make herself believe it until she saw him in person. Everytime she closed her eyes she kept seeing herself shooting Hawke in the gazebo and him falling to her feet. She had no recollection of why she would have done such a thing but she couldn't get the image out of her head. The scene just kept replaying over and over again in her imagination, each time more horrible than the last.

"Caitlin?" Hawke asked as he slowly pushed his wheelchair through the door to her room. He had wanted to walk but the nurses had insisted he take the wheelchair and once he had heard about her her condition, he was in no mood to put up a fight. He just wanted to get to her.

"Hawke?" Caitlin asked through her tears, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Yeah, it's me baby," he said as he wheeled over next to her bed. He was surprised to see how pale and exhausted she looked. Getting out of the wheelchair he stood by her bed and reached out to take her hand.

"Is it really you?," Cait asked as she looked up into his steel blue eyes with fear. "It can't be. I shot you!" she said as sobs began to wrack her body.

"No, no you didn't Caitlin," Hawke said as he immediately sat on the bed beside her and took her by the shoulders. "I'm right here, baby. See, feel me," he said as he took her hand and put it against his cheek, "I'm okay, you didn't shoot me Caitlin. It was Carl, not me."

Slowly the confusion that had been fillng her mind since pulling the trigger on Carl Simmons started to clear. Reaching out she wrapped her arms around Hawke and pulled him closer to her. She wanted to not only feel him, but smell him and sense him in every way she could.

"I thought I had lost you," she whispered as she finally pulled back so she could look at him face to face. "What happened, Hawke? Why can't I remember?"

"Caitlin, you've been through a hell of a lot and not just the past couple of days...for eight years. When you had to kill Carl, and at close range like that, I think your mind just couldn't take anymore...it had to shut down for a while. But it'll recover and eventually, when you can handle it, you'll remember everything. Right now, all you need to know is that I'm here and that I'll help you throught it."

"I can't ask you to do that, Hawke. I can't take over your life."

"Caitlin, look at me...you didn't ask. I'm telling you. Look, do you remember when we were flying up to the cabin yesterday and you said that you might want to keep me around for a really, really long time? Well, that's exactly what I want, too. I'm here, baby, and I'm not going anywhere, I promise," he said as he wiped the tears from her eyes. "I love you Caitlin, so very much," he said as he gently put his hand around her neck and pulled her in for a very passionate kiss.

_TBC..._

_So this is basically the end of our story but I do want to do one more chapter, an epilogue, to tie up any loose ends. I hope you've enjoyed it. :)_


	17. Epilogue

**The Illusion of Caitlin O'Shannessy**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_.

**Epilogue**

2 weeks later

Caitlin and Hawke had been released from the hospital and allowed to return to California under Dom's care after three days. Hawke's concussion seemed to be getting better but he would have to give his ribs a few more weeks of recovery time. Caitlin was slowly regaining bits and pieces of the specifics of what had happened but the doctors had told her that it would eventually all come back as her mind could handle it. In the meantime, having Hawke near had been the best medicine she could hope for.

Upon return to the west coast, all three pilots had retreated for a well-deserved rest at String's cabin. Dom stayed for a couple of days before deciding that what the two young lovers really needed was some time to be alone. For the past week, Cait and Hawke had spent their days exploring their fairly new feelings for each other and Caitlin began giving Hawke more details about what her childhood had been like. As she told him more about her life as Katherine Sullivan, he began to feel closer to Caitlin than he ever had before.  
Still, he wanted to know more. In order to do that, the two had decided that sometime over the next couple of months, Caitlin would take Hawke back to Kansas and show him all the places she had told him about.

As the week progressed, Caitlin's memory of what had happened at the estate in Pope County became clearer and clearer. There had been rough moments...a few nightmares; flashes of the moment Caitlin shot Carl that would stop her in her tracks and cause her to start shaking...but Hawke had never been more than a few steps away to calm her fears and get her through it.

Several days in as they sat in front of the fire, Caitlin finally asked Hawke about Scott Jenkins. Gently but with complete disclosure, Hawke told Caitlin how her old friend had given his life to save Hawke.

"So many people dead because of me," Caitlin had responded with tears in her eyes.

"No, Caitlin, not because of you. All the blame goes to Carl Simmons. Each of those men, Marshal Hamilton, Ed Hargraves and Scott, all knew what they were getting in to and they all went in with eyes wide open. They saw that you were willing to put your own life on the line and it inspired them to do no less. I bet if they were here today and you asked them to change things, they wouldn't. I know I wouldn't,"  
he said as gently wiped her tears away. "I will always be here for you, no matter what the risk."

"I couldn't have done any of it without you, Hawke," she said as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"And you don't have to worry about ever having to, Cait. I'm in this for the long haul. I'm just sorry it took all of this to bring me to my senses and let you know how I really feel."

"Hawke?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Remember the first night I spent here after I told you about Carl?"

"Mm-Hm," he said as he stroked Caitlin's hair feeling more content that he could ever remember.

"You told me that you didn't want us to rush to sleeping together and I can't tell you how much I appreciate that you respected me that much." Caitlin said as she sat up and faced this man she had come to love more than she ever thought possible.

"I do respect you, Caitlin..." Hawke said as he reached up and brushed her cheek. "I'm in no hurry, I'll wait as long as you need."

Standing, Caitlin took both of Hawke's hands in her own. "I'm ready now, Hawke, and I need you. Make love to me."

"You're sure, Caitlin?"

"More than I've ever been of anything in either of my lives," she said with a grin.

Hawke smiled as he followed the one woman he knew that he had always been destined to be with up the stairs.

The End :)

_Thanks for hanging in there on this one. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm working with the muse to come up with another story soon. :)_


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